Tour de Force
by Soul Hunter
Summary: What if Selphie and Zell...
1. Default Chapter Title

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Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

Part 1

-- mission order start --

RE: Retrieval of the prototype bomber VY-1

Mission Detail: This is in compliance with the request made by private Esthar aeronautics enterprise (Jerico & Indiana, hereby refered to as Client, as stipulated in the service contract) to retrieve their development prototype flyby bomber VY-1 'Glimmer' from a group of eco-terrorists who raided Client's Centra-based hangar 24 hours previous. The mission is to be carried out without delay. Since there has been no demands or express intention made by the terrorists, you are to apprehend at least one perpetrator for the purpose of questioning.

Additional note: Upon successful retrieval, the prototype bomber is to be delivered to Esthar City Airstation, as requested by Client.

Depart upon acknowledgement of receipt of this mission.

-- end of order --__

Zell scratches his head. It had been merely days since the mission he embarked on together with comrades Squall and Irvine, where they were ordered to seek and destroy a rogue Galbadian combat weapon only two days ago. And while he's not usually the type to back out on a mission, he was also thinking of taking it easy for at least a couple of days, owing to the fact that his body is still aching all over from that battle that can easily give the one against Omega Weapon a run for its money.

Besides, he thought, today is the first anniversary of the day he and Iris Deen started dating. Zell was planning to take her out on an overnight cruise in the private yacht loaned to them by Iris' aunt, Martha Deen-Stuart. Needless to say, the martial artist had grand plans for this day.

Selphie knows this, and she can't help but feel sorry for her teammate.

"Aw, don't worry, Zell. I'm sure Iris won't be going to that trip without you."

"Oh, you think?" he quips exasperatedly. "Man... talk about bad timing..."

"And you think you're getting the bad end of the deal?" Selphie replies. "Irvine and I were supposed to watch that new marathon epic movie. Today's the first day."

Zell momentarily deviated from his train of thought. "Uh-huh, I wanted to see that too. It received a pretty good review from Tacoma Washington and Astarte Hunter, so I guess we won't be wasting our money for a change."

"You actually believe those film reviews?"

"Not really. But eversince those two critics hit the mark with Front Mission, I thought there may just be some credibility in the way they scrutinize movies. Anyway, I really don't need to read the reviews for this one. I've been hearing about that film since last year, and they said it's going to be a really huge one. Big budget and all."

"What's it about, anyway?" Selphie returns while turning off her computer. "All I know is it's something with this really cool bad guy who uses some sort of magic stone to pull a meteor towards the planet."

"Uh-huh. And man, best casting I've ever seen in years!" Zell enthuses. "Especially the main babe! She's gonna be played by Amanda Stratton. You know, that actress with those huge..."

"Ep! Not so fast, Zell. Rinoa might be nearby. You know she gets pretty touchy with that subject."

"Oh yeah..." he retreats, prior to returning to his glum disposition. "Why are we talking about this anyway if we're not gonna see it to start with?"

The petit SeeD sighs, frustrated by the truth uttered by her equally disappointed comrade. "Yeah, we better stop this now. Why did the Headmaster choose us for this mission anyway? And what's so special with this Glimmer crap?"

"Well, according to him, we two are the most qualified for the job, being 'Balamb Garden's best pilots' and all. He said that the Glimmer is an experimental high-speed bomber that has been in development for nearly five years now. Word has it that its targetting instruments are so advanced that it can drop bombs with pinpoint accuracy even while moving at Mach 20 at an altitude of ten thousand feet. Now that's rad, I tell you."

"Uh-huh..." Concurs Selphie. "And in the wrong hands, it can spell disaster. Okay, I get it."

"In the wrong hands?" Zell remarks wryly. "Is there really such as thing as 'the right hands' when it comes to this kind of weapon? You'd think they're becoming obsolete now that the cold war is over. But still, people are building all sorts of things. Like the one we fought the other day. Now this." he furthers, philosophically scorning the false value of such weapons of war. "When is a weapon in the 'right hands' when all they're used for anyway is to hurt people?"

Selphie looks thoughtfully at Zell. "Yeah, you have a point there. But I don't think we're in a position to question these things considering what we do for a living." He merely bows his head in acknowledgement of her assessment.

A short while elapsed before Selphie broke the silence. "Anyway, let's go and get this over with. Is the Rag prepped up?"

"We're not taking the Rag. Too high-profile."

"Oh. We're doing the sneak attack bit?"

"The way it should be." Zell smiles. "Besides, if we're going to miss 'Cry of the Planet', we might as well do so while doing what we do best."

Selphie grins widely, eager anticipation written all over her radiant, green eyes.

"Saving the world in style again. Cool! Now I remember why I became a SeeD in the first place."

* * *

It had been a long week of traversing the shores of the Bikan territory aboard the custom Garden amphibian personnel carrier. Realizing near futility in tying to locate the terrorist base, Zell impatiently tears off the velcro strapping of the Ehrgeiz before pounding on the transport ship's navigational panel.

"Damn! Does needle in a haystack mean anything to those stupid intel operatives? We've been living out of banana-beef bars for nearly a friggin' week now and we still haven't found anything!"

Selphie looks blankly at her annoyed comrade, but she didn't say anything. Yet silently, she agrees with Zell's impatient rambling. Training her bland eyes toward the white foam splashing relentlessly on the transporter's thick glass shield, the thoughtful SeeD recalls a moment years ago, when as a young aspirant she would rejoice exuberantly with her friends while speeding through these same waters en route to one of the numerous field exercises they embarked on before.

Here she is now, hissing bubbles crashing against the transparent covering. But her friends are not with her anymore, victims of a very tragic circumstance that saw her beloved Matron, who was possessed by an evil entity from the future, order the barrage of lethal missiles that demolished the most part of Trabia Garden, together with those with whom she surfs these same waves.

She has had revenge by delivering the second to the last blow on the vile sorceress responsible for all that carnage -- Ultimecia. Selphie can still savor the ferocious sweetness of casting a triple-Apocalypse spell that unleashed all the indignation she had for the sorceress. And yet, at the same time she still feels the lingering melancholy born out of the recollection. Her friends never deserved the fate that befell them.

And that's why she's here now, making sure that no one ever has to suffer that same tragedy again.

Her trance was abruptly broken by a frantic beeping call from the vehicle's sensors. "Whoa, we got something."

"It's about freakin' time!" Zell exclaims. "What have we got?"

"Here." she retorts while typing a series of coded commands to the console. "The turbulence detector has picked up a trail that probably came from a speedboat. The trail leads to a concealed cave located just 6 miles from our present position."

"It could be nothing..." Zell comments. "But what are the chances of anyone owning a vacation house in a frigid place like this? Shall we?"

"I'm on it." Selphie returns, turning off the auto-navigator. She was just about to take the helm when staggering explosions suddenly shook the serene sea. Jolted by the blasts, the SeeD pair wasted no time in taking evasive maneuvers.

"Dammit, sea mines!" hollers the martial artist. "Vacationers don't usually use sea mines for security!"

"You don't say...!" his partner shoots back. "We're in deep trouble, Zell! I'm activating anti-grav mode now!"

"Over water? Selphie, you'll blow up the quanta-drive!"

"It's either that or we get blown to smithereens!" she yells back. Consequently, Selphie's risky action resulted in the personnel carrier instantly doing a vertical jerk on the field of anti-gravity bouying it up above the liquid surface. Zell worriedly monitors the drive gauge, gasping frenetically when the reading suddenly boosted to critical.

"Selphie, shut it down now!"

"I can't! There's a dense cluster dead ahead of us!"

"But it's gonna bl...!"

The next thing they saw was the sudden disappearance of the water line from the front observation panel as the transporter was thrown into the air, propelled by the immense force of the quanta-drive's explosion. Somersaulting uncontrollably, the water-based ship subsequently hits a thick growth of snow-covered Trabian teak, softening the impact considerably but still insufficient to keep it from turtle-tumbling a couple of times before finally resting upside-down over the snow-covered ground. A loud hissing sound emanates as the falling wads of snow extinguished the smoldering at the ship's destroyed float generator.

Inside, everything was still, including the unmoving forms of the two stunned SeeDs. But no so long after, a stirring begins as Zell begins to regain consciously. Shaking his head furiously, the martial artist then felt immense relief when he saw his teammate likewise coming to.

"Man... always wear your seatbelts... they say..."

"Unnhhh..." Selphie moans amidst the throbbing inside her head. "Anyone packed any Advinol?"

"Nevermind that..." Zell snaps back, examining the damage in the ship as well the surrounding terrain they found themselves in. "Damn... all systems are dead. This ship is now just as useful as a dead Wendigo."

"We better get outta here..." Selphie follows. "There might still be a chance for this to blow up."

Packing their cold gear, the two shaken up SeeDs cautiously made an exit from the disabled ship afterwards. The pair had merely covered a few yards of snow and earth when they heard a hostile holler emanating from a short distance.

"I know that friggin' sound." Zell remarks.

"Yeah, a Blue Dragon." Selphie retorted, just before a hideous green beast appeared before them. The Blue Dragon, equally startled, stared at them briefly before assuming a predatorial stance.

"Unh... I'm not in any shape to fight..." an exhausted Zell quips.

"Me neither. So what's the plan?"

"What do you think? L2 plus R2!"

"WHAT?"

"Heh, nothing. Let's just get the hell out of here!" after which the two SeeDs quickly scampered away, leaving the baffled monster scratching the base of his ugly crotch.

"Zell..." Selphie blurts out while fleeing. "How does Iris put up with this addiction you have for video games?"

__

- end of part 1 -


	2. Default Chapter Title

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Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

Part 2

Cid grimaces. For the most part of his latter years, he had been the proud Headmaster of the world renowned Balamb Garden, made famous by its crack team of elite mercenary force who have proven the academy's mettle for training highly disciplined and competent operatives in the field of combat warfare and military espionage. He knows of this reputation to be a mere by-product of his real purpose of producing the warriors that will eventually save the world from the tyrannical wrath of a nihilistic sorceress. Nevertheless, even after that mission of destiny has been fulfilled, the continued operation of Garden was deemed necessary, he thought, if only to preserve this world they fought so hard to save.

However, there are some missions that do elicit a negative sentiment for the longsuffering Headmaster. The world still continues on business as usual. And by saying, the meaning is carried that the two most powerful states on the planet, namely Esthar and Galbadia, are carrying on with such doubtful undertakings as developing weapons of destruction in an age when he deemed them totally unnecessary. As far as he knows, the said countries are presently thriving under a mutual pact that for the time being, does away with futile and pointless wars. At least with President Laguna Loire and General Richard Caraway on the helms, the global populace will be assured of peace as long as they reign in power.

Still, there are clandestine events that even the sovereign rulers of nations have little powers to prevent. He sighs with the realization that one of the evils of this budding philosophy called democracy is the assurance that everybody has a say on matters. Even those people who have rather deviant ideas of maintaining peace as they see it through their short-sighted eyes. Politicians who believe that might is right and will make others right as well still abound.

And he knows this is why conglomerates such as the technological giant Jerico & Indiana are still sanctioned to manufacture war machines, like the one Garden is tasked right now to salvage from the hands of a baneful eco-terrorist group. Its like taking a fish out of the fire and putting it in a frying pan, he ponders.

Yet, why does he continue to ensure the continued operation of an institution that grows men and women adept in the violent art of combat? Why does he insist on even this additional duty of interim SeeD dispatcher? He asks, knowing full well that the answer is as easy as deciding to apply toxic substance to kill the weeds in a potentially healthy garden.

Traversing this line of thought, he turns around to give his attention back to Ulyard Earl Kipman, president and acting CEO of Jerico & Indiana.

"No, I haven't heard from my operatives since they embarked on the mission a week ago, Mr. Kipman. Why? Is there anything amiss?"

"Amiss? That's the understatement of the year." Kipman retorted. "Esthar's War Council have been making a lot of noise lately regarding a possible replacement for me, Headmaster Kramer. And frankly speaking, I don't favor the idea of losing my job and the opportunity to assume permanent chairmanship of this proud company."

"The War Council?" Cid comes back quizzically. "Are you saying that President Loire himself commissioned the development of this... machine?" He furthers while scratching his head in confusion. The Headmaster can't avoid recalling the startling moment when he learned of the failed assassination attempt on the late Galbadian President Vinzer Deling, staged by the controversial Squad Pi Alpha. Relief did set upon him later on by the discovery that Laguna Loire was not responsible for the said covert op. And this is the same knowledge that brings him right now to a suspicious inkling that he is again on the verge of coming upon another clandestine political transaction. Cid wasn't even half-surprised by Kipman's rejoinder.

"... Let's just say that this is something that had to bypass the usual channels." the chairman answers with a stoic look in his face. "And for that matter, this does not concern you anymore, Mr. Kramer. Right now, the only thing you should worry about is the successful completion of this service for your client."

The Headmaster felt a tempting call to just blow the lid on everybody, if he is not being held back by the client privilege of secrecy that -- though he knows to be a tool effectively used by some to get their way with Garden negotiations -- he still strictly abides to with sacred conviction. On the side, Cid starts pondering on effecting some amendments to Balamb Garden's constitution.

But for now, he has no choice but to comply. The amendment can come right after the completion of this mission. For now, he had to content himself with his duty of quelling the worries of his client.

"Do not concern yourself too much with the progression of this task, Mr. Kipman. I assure you, I have sent my best men on the field."

"You don't happen to mean this group of SeeDs that you're so proud of, do you Headmaster? You know, the six that supposedly saved the world awhile back."

Cid pauses for a moment, unable to avoid wondering about the sudden fame the Fated Children have amassed for themselves. "If it's gonna make you feel better, yes, I am referring to them."

"Good, good. I feel better already. Let me know when something comes up." The comm screen thus went blank. And for some reason, Cid felt a foreboding, unsure of whether to take Kipman's last remark as a sincere one or something with a dose of sarcasm in it. He doesn't know why, but he likewise can't avoid this sudden sense of discomfort as he deems it.

* * *

"Great... juuuust great!"

"Why? What's wrong this time, Zell?"

"My communicator's dead." Zell groans. "How's yours?"

Selphie stops for a moment, pulling back the inch-thick sleeve of her cold suit to expose the SeeD communicator on her wrist. Tapping it lightly a couple of times, her face likewise turns into an appalled frown upon realizing that it's also deactivated.

"Same here." she then confirms. "Funny both our communicators died at the same time. There's probably a source of interference nearby."

"What, like a relay station?" Zell snaps back, prior to bellowing out an exasperated sigh. "Oh man. Another communications station, another female field partner."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just don't go getting injured on me, okay? You wouldn't want to see this dude undergoing the same shit twice."

"Well, not if you do a good job of watching over me..." she comes back, flashing a cute smile at her scowling teammate. Zell suddenly felt indifferent, for some reason that he's not aware of. But he then chose to ignore the fit and continued on his way with Selphie following suit.

Pretty soon, the pair of SeeDs made it to the top of a ledge overlooking a deep ravine. Catching his breath, Zell reaches into his backpack and pulls out a pair of digital binoculars. Adjusting the dial appropriately, the array of infrared zoom lens works in a series of rapid circuit switchings to separate low and high frequency photon waves, enabling the SeeD to determine telltale energy differences on the vast expanse of land at the bottom of the cliff.

He then fixes his attention on a wide patch of snow-covered earth, where the coldness of the snow didn't hide the pulsing heat traces emanating from an underground base beneath it.

"Got a shovel, Sef?"

"Ha-ha! Very funny." she mocks while reaching into her backpack to pull out a coil of decel cord. "Hurry up, we better make it down before dark."

"Why?" What's the big deal?" he asks while securing his decel cord in the harnesses attached to his body strap.

"Bug Bites turn into Ruby Dragons."

Zell stares blankly at his smirking teammate. "I have got to warn Irvine about you." Selphie giggled profusely as her irritated comrade jumps backward into the ravine.

The descent was long and grueling, and made especially arduous by the unabashed chortles of the native Trabian who was watching her teammate display gross inexperience in the difficult task of rapeling down the jagged vertical surface of the ice-covered cliff. At times, Selphie will allow Zell to get ahead of her for a few dozen yards before sliding down leisurely to overtake him.

"Need a ride, mister?"

"Shut up!" he would snap back at times. "Not everyone of us had your kind of training, so quit drumming it in okay?"

"You are such a spoil sport!" Selphie retorts as she plants sure feet on the otherwise slippery rocks littering the cliffside. "If you're having a hard time, just do what I'm doing."

"I don't know how to do it, dammit!" Zell yells back exasperatedly. However, his less that cautious reaction caused the brash SeeD to lose his footing. An abrupt slip of the feet sent Zell sliding uncontrollably down the gorge. He struggles to regain a grip on the cord but the extremely low temperatures had provided a serious decrease on its coefficient of friction, rendering the effort futile for the embattled SeeD.

"Oh shoot!" Acting swiftly, Selphie pushes hard against the rockface to initiate a highspeed slide in hopes that she reaches the plummeting Zell before the unwound decel cord breaks under the momentum of his fall. It took but a few seconds for her to come within reach of Zell, who was by that time already alternating between upright and lateral positions, further aggravating the loss of control.

"Damn! At this rate he will only pull me with him if I go for the quick grab!" she assesses when she pulled alongside him. But then the alarmed SeeD spots the smoke coming out from the main harness on Zell's bodystrap, a sign that the decel cord is starting to shred because of the improper position of his speedy fall. 

Realizing that she has no other choice, Selphie immediately goes for Zell's harness but missed on the first try. Subsequent attempts still netted her nothing, as the now alarmed mercenary spots the ground hastily speeding up to meet them.

"Now or never!!!" She hollers while going for another grab. It missed again.

She then felt powerful hands slap a tight grip on her extended forearm. Amidst the struggle, Zell managed to reach out to her as well, prompting Selphie to lock the roller on her own main harness. Smelling the fumes coming from her cord, she holds her breath, awaiting grimly for either their fall to slow down or feel the rocky earth hit their bodies.

They felt an impact, which gave way just as abruptly. But that encounter with a frozen rock shrub effectively decelerated their fall, enabling the two to use their feet in ultimately halting their deathly descent. Gasping rapidly, Selphie quickly pulled Zell close to her when they reached a full stop.

"Th-Thanks, Sef..." he breathes, prior to a surprise moment when he turned towards her. Their faces separated by less than an inch of space, Zell and Selphie became held in a trance as their eyes locked on each other.

A loud pop suddenly rings out. When Zell looks about, he saw the rock beside him smoldering intensely. Another pop sounded causing another protruding frozen granite to explode.

"Shit! Freakin' sniper lasers! They spotted us!"

"Down, Zell! Now!" Selphie hollers just as another thin bolt of light sliced a neat cut in the cliff's surface. Frantically, the two SeeDs renewed their dangerous rapelling, all the while weaving their paths in hopes of avoiding the lethal laser fire. Selphie screams in pain when one bolt grazed her left thigh!

"ARRGGHHHH!!!"

"Selphie, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah..." she stammers, starting to feel dizzy as an effect of the laser strike. "But I don't think I can take one more of that!"

"We better jump now!" he exclaims. "We're sitting ducks trying to move this slow!"

"What? But we're still too high up!" she objects. But after another pang of sharp pain from her bleeding leg, Selphie ultimately consents to the desperate measure. "O... Okay, I'm right behind you!"

Selphie watches as Zell grunts hard in a sudden tug to snap the decel cord holding him aloft. He then plummets in a free fall before being swallowed in a thick fog that suddenly formed a few hundred feet below them. She then braces herself, then casts a Fire spell to severe her line.

__

- end of part 2 -


	3. Default Chapter Title

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Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

**Part 3**

Train, train, take me away...

Take me away, Far away...

Train, train...

... ... ...

A sigh of love?

N-No!

... ... ...

???

You're not Irvine...

... ... ...

"Damn right I'm not. Hey Selphie, you okay?"

"... Huhh... wha...?"

"Sounded like you were dreaming." Zell remarks while helping Selphie sit up from being sprawled on the snow bed. "What's this about Irvine?" he furthers, then quickly dismisses it just the same. "Forget it. Why am I asking you about your dream anyway?"

Wiggling her head, Selphie expends a few moments to gather herself before letting Zell's empty question sink into her head. And for a brief moment, she felt like saying something... something that for some reason, made her feel guilty. Quickly reversing her thought, the Trabian SeeD focuses her attention to herself, examining to see if she suffered any serious injuries.

"Well, I didn't seem to have broken any bones or anything..." she remarks. "How about you?"

"I'm okay." he quips. "Just thinking, though..."

"Thinking about what?"

"Well..." Zell starts while looking at the horizon. "... It appears we've been unconscious for at least an hour judging from the difference in the position of the moon. And yet, don't you find it strange that they haven't sent a search party after us yet?"

"That is odd." Selphie agrees. "Well, maybe they thought we were dead."

"Highly unlikely. It's too sloppy for a group of terrorists that can hijack a top-secret bomber." Zell rebuffs his teammate, after which he gestures her to stop talking when he heard a series of crunching sounds and frenetic voices.

"Over here! Those SeeDs should be around here somewhere!" hollers one voice from the search party. Falling to a crouch, Selphie slowly raises her head slightly above a rock pile to get a glimpse of the source of the sounds.

"Okay, there's your search party." she whispers. "What do we do now?"

"Hide!" Zell mumbles while pulling Selphie behind a huge boulder, where they remained still to keep beyond sight of a group of three terrorists searching for them. While observing the search party, Zell's forehead wrinkles in light of the perception of another oddity.

"This is getting freaky." he mutters to his field partner. "Why send only three foot soldiers?"

"Oh, stop complaining, Zell! My body still aches from that fall." Selphie snaps back while unharnessing the Strange Vision. "Let's just take them out and be done with it."

"Okay, I'll take po..." The martial artist was cut short when his nunchaku-armed teammate suddenly charged into the open. "Hey! You stupid... wait for me!"

And before Zell could react, Selphie was already upon the leader of the terrorist who was caught by surprise with her sudden appearance. But even though he was startled, the miscreant was still able to aim his machine gun at her. But Selphie knows exactly what to do. Swiftly pulling herself down, the brown-haired SeeD used her momentum to slide on the snow by her knees. In one split-second, she whirls the nunchaku upward to knock the assault rifle off the terrorist's hands. Another lightning second saw her quickly planting both her feet on the ground, going from crouch to a sudden lunging move in one smooth motion that delivered a devastating double chop on the enemy's neck. 

"There! Get her!" yelled the other two terrorists upon spotting her. Selphie had barely a fraction of a second to dive into the icy ground, tumbling for cover to avoid the lethal hail of bullets that peppered her way. Ducking into a rock, she clutches her weapon hard, bracing herself for another offensive.

"HUWAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Came the ear-splitting battlecry that drew the attention of the two remaining terrorists. Selphie then looks up to see Zell soaring into the air from behind their enemies. Displaying impeccable body control, the martial artist twists his body in the air and culminates his attack with a powerful reverse kick that landed on one of the terrorist's chest, sending him crashing against a nearby cliffwall. 

Quickly picking up from his last move, Zell swings his left hand to disarm the remaining opponent. He then executes a double pivot, connecting with a blurry backhand on the terrorist's face instantly followed by a solid roundhouse in the midsection. Selphie looks on as the unconscious miscreant rolls limply by her.

"Well..." she sighs. "That was an easy one."

"Yeah... too easy..." Zell ponders, his sullen expression not escaping the notice of the astute Trabian.

"Mind letting me in on your thoughts? I know you're one for some hard action, but all this complaining is becoming ridiculous."

"No, it's not that. But I can't help suspecting that they're taking it too easy on us. And did you hear one of these mooks said before we attacked them?"

"No... I didn't hear... didn't hear... ..."

Selphie wasn't able to continue when all of the sudden, a debilitating dizzy spell gripped her. She didn't even have the time to feel surprised when everything started spinning around her. "... Zell... I don't... feel too g..."

"Selphie? SELPHIE!" Zell quickly runs to her aid, only to find out that she has fallen completely unconscious. Groping her body for any signs of blood, his hand inadvertently felt a huge mass down her left leg. Ripping the lower half of her cold gear open, he was alarmed to see a gruesome, green swelling on her thigh. Recalling his first aid training, Zell carefully examines the enlargement.

"Damn..." he mumbles. "Irradiation wound. These idiots are still using old, Mako-based lasers."

He then looks up to the dimming sky and thickening clouds right above them. "This is not good." Zell assesses, recognizing the potential dangers of an impending night time blizzard. Looking around, the SeeD groans out of frustration when he didn't see anything worthy to be used as shelter. 

Securing Selphie's backpack over his own, Zell then gently lifts her up on his arms and starts marching onward to try and find a place that they can use for shelter.

* * *

"M-My... My apologies sir. But the mercenaries were able to repulse the strike team we sent to neutralize them."

His voice was trembling, assuming an almost staccato pattern born of his own fear. Magyar Motumba is not one who normally cowers before anyone. Committing hideous perpetrations since the tender age of seven, he emerged from out of the dismal corners of Timber's obscured slum area to become one of the most notorious criminals and freelance muscles-for-hire during the Sorceress War.

Eventually finding himself in command of a group of outcast mercenaries who call themselves the Purple Haze, Motumba cleverly assumed the guise of an eco-terrorist to masquerade their criminal campaigns, often using their false image to shun public outcry while carrying out contracted hit services for various clandestine organizations. 

And he couldn't be happier with the arrangement, especially now that an especially generous sponsor offered to build an underground headquarters for them as part of a deal to deliver the VY-1 bomber to his mysterious client.

And though he has indiscriminatetly taken in various mercenary jobs, Motumba has never been one to be intimidated by a client. Yet, for some reason, this one whose name he doesn't even know scares him. He hated that fact, yet he had no choice but to comply if he wishes to snare down the most lucrative contract he has ever laid hands on.

"Have you suffered any loss?" the shadow on his comm screen echoes.

"Not really, sir. Just three scouts." Motumba timidly responds.

"It's minimal, then. No matter. Just make sure to triple your guards. And don't forget to make the preparations I instructed you to do. I don't wish to see all our efforts deteriorate into an exercise in futility." the raspy voice continues. "And for this matter, so do you... if you you wish to reach a ripe old age."

"Y-Yes sir. You don't have to worry, sir." the terrorist leader returns, fear evident in his voice. He then turns around to his right hand man.

"Don't just stand there!" He yells while slapping the hapless aide. "Get the friggin' package from the cargo bay and start the modifications! We're on a schedule here, you moron!"

Motumba falls silent, pondering deeply on why his client would specifically order to send out such a meager contingent to battle what they know to be very formidable opponents. If he only had it his way, he'd send a whole platoon of his most brutal mercenaries to fight those intruders. Though thinking is not exactly one of his strong suits, Motumba is not blind to fail to recognize the capability inherent to operatives from Balamb Garden. If he can help it, he won't even give them an inch.

But his client forced his hand to do something totally opposite to his usual way of dealing with enemies. And he can only wonder why.

* * *

It's been a long night, Zell thinks. An incredibly long and frigid night made more serious by the worsening weather condition besieging the remote valley outside. By this time, he estimates, they should have at least made it to the underground base of the terrorists. 

But instead, Zell finds himself and Selphie trapped in a dark cave, unable to do anything due to the inclement weather. A few hours ago, he was worrying about the condition of his unconscious teammate, who succumbed to a toxic irradiation wound inflicted to her by the earlier barrage of lasers they encountered during their descent from the four thousand foot high cliff. 

Fortunately, Zell happened to have emergency first-aid applications as one of his favorite electives back in Garden, which honed his skill in emergency treatment to a level rivaling that of Doctor Kadowaki's herself. Though he knows he applied the proper medical treatment on Selphie's wound, Zell is also aware that in order to be sure of her recovery, she has to survive the night first. Already, the disabled SeeD is showing signs of remission in the form of a high fever, which is aggravated by the chilly air brought about by the blizzard. Zell swiftly gathers about all the wood he found earlier and ignited it with a Flare spell, hoping that the added heat will help alleviate Selphie's condition.

He then lifts his bare right hand and rests it upon Selphie's forehead. And he doesn't know why he did this. The backpacks they have been lugging around contain a complete survival set intended for use in situations like this; from food provisions and portable cold packs to first aid kits. He could have just used the thermometer to get her temperature. But instead, he found himself wanting to use his hands.

Zell moves down to her legs to check the swelling, a smile of relief consequently forming in his lips when all he saw was a faint greenish patch where the unsightly gall used to be. He was just about to call it in when Selphie started moaning profusely.

"Unnh...! Must stop... missile... will slaughter... thousands...!"

She's becoming delirious, he thought. Gripped with a renewed sense of anxiety, Zell felt he had no recourse but to use his own body heat to help his teammate. Without a second thought, he opened the front of his cold gear before doing the same thing to Selphie's. Zell then moves to draw her body towards his. Wiggling their fused forms to try and get her as close to him as possible, he then secures the hems of their cold suits to completely envelope themselves in a makeshift chrysalis. Inside, Zell wraps his arms around Selphie as tight as he can.

Outside, the storm continues to rage hard, with no sign whatsoever of relinquishing anytime soon.

* * *

Crunching sounds start to break the silence of the still morning as a pair of wandering Mesmerizes make their way through the fresh layer of snow left over from the previous night's storm. One of the beasts turns abruptly, as if detecting an unfamiliar presence nearby. Gaiting close to the concealed cave opening, the blade-horned beast waves his nose over the pine needles a couple of times, then decides to join its companion who had gone ahead.

Inside the unassuming cavern, a mass of thick cloth and non-organic fiber begins to stir. It was then followed by a tearing resonance as the cucoon opens to reveal an newly-awake Zell. He yawns, stretching his left arm in the process. Zell then fights the urge to do the same thing with his right arm which was still wrapped around Selphie. Bringing his hand once more to her forehead, the martial artist smiles with relief upon feeling that her temperature has gone down to near normal.

"Hmm..." she starts to stir. Zell then begins to remove his right arm from her.

"No..." she suddenly mutters. "Just keep it there, please..."

"Hey... I better get off you or someone might see us. You wouldn't want a Snowlion snitching on us, would you?" Zell comes back with a slightly concerned pitch in his voice.

"To hell with the Snowlion, I just wanna stay here a little while longer."

He didn't know what to think. Zell didn't want to admit it but he does recognize a certain precarious state in the present situation they're in right now. He tries to cope with the expected sense of uneasiness, a not-so-pleasant effort to reconcile with the unexpected feeling of... 

He doesn't even want to think about it. He knows he should pry himself off her now. But for some reason...

He doesn't even want to think about it.

"... Zell..."

"Yeah...?"

"Thank you. I may have been out of my wits last night... but I know you saved my life."

"Hell, don't mention it. No big de..."

"It is a big deal..." Selphie suddenly looks up, straight into Zell's eyes.

And their lips closed the gap.

__

- end of part 3 - 


	4. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

Part 4

Four hundred yards of barren grassland battered by 55 mile per hour high winds separate him from a one-foot tall effigy of the vile sorceress who went by the name of Ultimecia, a scornful spirit who threatened all of existence from her lofty perch in a future era before he and five of his equally fearless friends ventured to her time to end her life. Irvine Kinneas, former marksman extraordinaire from the defunct Galbadia Garden and now one of the most highly decorated SeeDs of its counterpart in Balamb, positions his eagle-sharp right eye behind the back end of his custom-made sniper rifle's telescopic view-finder.

Blinking his eyes repeatedly, the gunslinger takes careful aim. He wonders: he doesn't usually take a careful aim on targets as easy as this. Reluctantly, he pulls the trigger, firing a single round of hollow point towards the object positioned in between the crosshairs.

The shot missed by a yard.

"Damn..." he mutters in frustration. This is the third time that he had to take this shot this day, and he can't figure out why he seems to have lost his skill all of the sudden. He stares at the other bullets arranged in a neat row by his side, and deliberates whether to continue with this practice session which he deems an exercise in futility.

He knows very well what's causing this sudden attack of incompetence. It's been more than a week now since he read a note left in his room by his beloved Selphie, prior to her departure for that retrieval operation with Zell. And the lack of news about their whereabouts is causing him great distress at this very moment. It's not that this is the first time either one of them had to go on a mission that lasted as long as this. 

But that's exactly what's been causing the dread in his heart. Opting to be square with himself, Irvine subsequently realizes with clarity that it's not really the length of time or the absence of communication. It's the unexplained dread itself, a foreboding shadow that though he struggles hard to rebuff, Irvine unwittingly interprets as some sort of omen. For all he knows, Selphie might be sprawled in some desolate snowfield at this very moment, bleeding badly and unable to do anything to help herself. Irvine feels a sense of helplessness set into his being, a gnawing feeling of despair that not even the arrival of Squall was capable of alleviating.

"Still worried about Sefie, huh." he starts, a remark that was frowned upon by the gunslinger.

"No shit." Irvine comes back wryly. "You really don't expect me to feel all peachy keen about this, do you?"

"Hhh... no." Squall sighs, opting to tolerate Irvine's crass repartee. The SeeD commander thinks, if he were in his comrade's position and Rinoa were in Selphie's, he'd feel exactly the same way.

Regretfully, Squall wasn't really the sensitive type with a penchant for cheering up forlorn friends. He really wanted to tell Irvine that everything will be fine, that Selphie is safe under Zell's protection. But as is typical of the SeeD commander, he can't figure out how to begin. Choosing against a lost cause, he instead started with his primary reason for coming to see his beleaguered teammate.

"We need to leave immediately. Headmaster gave an order for us to escort Governor Markkon to the summit in Esthar." he begins, pertaining to an escort mission aimed at protecting the revered Winhill Governor who was currently receiving a slew of death threats as of late. Irvine looks at Squall, then flashes a sneering grin.

"That's a shit assignment, and you know it." the gunslinger retorts. "And don't pretend you didn't tell the Headmaster to include me in this mission just so I can get my mind off Selphie."

Squall simply shrugs. Turning his back to his comrade, Irvine nonchalantly opens the gun casing and begins to disassemble his sniper rifle. Shoulders drooping, he then lets out a resounding whine coupled with a thoughtless question.

"Why am I feeling nervous all of the sudden? Do you suppose there's some reason why I'm like this? Do you think something really bad happened to those two?"

"You're just being superstitious." Squall curtly replies.

"I hope you're right, Squall." Irvine returns, his voice reeking with anxiety. "I hope you're right..."

* * *

Irregular rock formations litter the path they have chosen to traverse on their way to the terrorists' hidden base. But Zell and Selphie quietly continues, deeming it wiser to choose this path rather than to stay on the open field where they can be easily seen by the enemy. Not exactly fully recovered, Selphie wasn't able to avoid losing her footing in one especially jagged descent. She softly moans after the fall, with Zell quickly coming to her aid to help her up on her feet once more.

"You okay?" he briefly asks.

"Yeah..." Selphie returns, before seeing Zell instantly turn his back on her to continue on his way. That simple gesture was enough to let her know that she is not alone in this nagging moment of self-reprisal.

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you?" She blurts out in an effort to clear the air between them. To her utter consternation, Zell didn't respond to her pointed question.

"Zell, will you please talk to me. I'm starting to feel like an idiot being the only one who wants to settle this."

He looks at her, guilt written all over his face. "It... it's not right, Sef. What happened back there was very, very wrong." The sudden remark made Selphie feel like she was being immersed in a pool of ice water.

"How could you say that, Zell?"

"What?"

"How could you say that? It's like you're implying that I'm the only one who wanted it to happen!"

"No... it's not that..." Zell snaps back; a brief but meaningful reply conveying the secret message that he did in fact like what happened, no matter how terribly guilty he feels at this very moment. 

Lashing at himself for actually admitting to that truth, the martial artist returns, his emotions full throttle in its intent of not holding anything back.

"Don't you get it? Don't you realize what just happened?"

"What?!?" she shoots back resoundingly. "What happened?"

"I don't know, dammit!!!" Zell exclaims. "All I know is I didn't try to stop it. And whenever I think about it, I think about Iris. How do you think am I going to face her after this?"

Tha Trabian SeeD slams her eyes shut, a tormenting wail seemingly echoing from her heart which feels like it's being shoved into a meat grinder. She then throws her gaze back to Zell, indignation written all over her face.

"You... You ASSHOLE!!!" Selphie blurts out, catching Zell completely by surprise. "You think you're guilty, huh? You think you're friggin' guilty?!? How do you suppose I feel like at this moment? What about Irvine, huh? What?!?" 

She was already red with anger, prompting Zell to try and approach her. But Selphie suddenly jumps back.

"Don't touch me, Zell!" she hollers. "Don't you freakin' touch me because you have no idea just how bad you're making me feel right now!"

"Selphie..." he gropes, desperately trying to appease her uncharacteristic rage. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way..."

But she didn't answer anymore, pushing him aside instead as she continues along the rocky path leading to their target. With desperate eyes, Zell follows her movement, his heart being rent at this very moment by excruciating guilt. But unlike before, the terrible reprisal is not so much caused by his seeming unfaithfulness to Iris than it is by the knowledge that he has just caused Selphie a world of hurt. 

As he stares at her, Zell wonders, asking himself about this nagging emotion eating into his heart right now. Admittedly, he's gripped by an unwelcome surprise, owing to the truth that... he hates himself for hurting her, much more than he does for his self-professed infidelity to the pigtailed girl.

What have they gotten themselves into?

* * *

Another hour of trekking by foot elapsed before the two SeeDs slowed to a crouching approach. Right in front of them, a solitary rock formation stands in the middle of the vast snowfield. To the untrained eye, the monolith looked inconspicuous enough to escape notice. But not for the pair of battle-hardened Garden mercenaries who easily spotted faint snowshoe prints leading out from the western end of the solid structure. Stretching his neck to get a better view, Zell tries to search for any sign of a switch or device that may be used to open the gate they assume to be along the side of the rock formation.

"Great... looks like the only way to open that entrance is from the inside." He said. "Any ideas?"

Selphie didn't answer, eliciting a frustrated sigh from Zell out of knowing that she's still mad at him. Trying to shun the disturbing thought, the martial artist begins to slowly inch toward the next tree, wary that he might be seen by a hidden sentinel camera.

"I'm going in for a closer look." He announces. "I might be able to rig something up to open that friggin' gate."

Selphie looks at him, then moves to take hold of his forearm.

"Zell... don't." He glances at her with a mild surprise. "Th... That access is designed to be exposed so they can easily detect intruders. We have to find another way to get in."

Deep inside him, Zell feels an uncanny relief stemming from the apparent sign that Selphie has already forgiven him. But he holds himself back, careful that he might push his luck too far. He then squats back next to her as Selphie begins to talk once more.

"Let's think about this." she begins anew. "There are probably more laser batteries surrounding that entrance, so the direct approach is out of the question. I'm thinking of waiting until someone from inside opens it, but..." She hesitates, recalling the event that took place a few hours ago. Selphie then decides against continuing with her sentence from fear of the allusion of referring to a similar event brought forth by that idle stretch of time not unlike the one she almost suggested.

And Zell has exactly the same thing in mind, likewise opting not to further in the same direction.

"Of course, we can try the direct approach and just blow that thing into the next century."

"Uh, I thought we're supposed to exercise subterfuge with this operation." Selphie remarks.

"Not really." Zell replies. "Remember the mission parameter: leave one perpetrator conscious for questioning. That means we have the go signal to run amuck, right?"

"Yeah, right. How do you suppose can we go against an army of terrorists?"

"Hey, you have to ask?" He comes back, this time with the ardor inherent to him. "I'm THE Zell Dincht and you're THE Selphie Tilmitt. We're da bomb! The wrecking crew! Balamb Garden's Tour de Force! You should instead ask how these mooks are going to go against the two of us!"

A vicious grin forms on Selphie's lips, followed by the old fire in her eyes that had become common from all the battles that she fought in the past. Dropping her backpack to the ground, the reenergized SeeD subsequently pulls out her deadly nunchuku while turning to Zell, who was making sure that his Ehrgeiz gloves are strapped securely. She then nods to her field partner.

"Alright, let's do it! Blow the place to smithereens!" 

__

- end of part 4 -


	5. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

Part 5

The quiet mind of a man is a powerful force to reckon with. The silence heralds nothing, hints at nothing, and echoes nothing. No one can see it coming, no one can predict its approach. It ambushes silently, exhibiting unparalleled stealth, yet always pounces effectively. Death is a sudden and blinking experience merciful to the one who fears pain. Yet still, there is death.

On the other hand, the quiet mind of a man neglectful of his duties brings death unto himself. Take for example a sentry, high in competence and advanced in technology. He could see everything coming from a mile away. He has all the tools and equipment with which to accomplish such a measly goal. Yet, the silence of a man's mind isolated by a lazy eye brings all for naught. If he meets death, it will be his undoing.

**-- Soul Hunter's collection of random thoughts (unpublished)**

"Whu... wha?"

"KARAD, YOU STUPID OAF!!! We're already under attack and you still do nothing but to sleep in your watch! I shall have your head for this!!!"

"Whu... huh? Holy crap!!!" The person assigned to monitor duty blurts out frenziedly as he returns to his post to see the fearful forms of two mysterious creatures outside the main access gate. Spewing forth infernal Hellfire from his hideous mouth, Ifrit unrelentingly batters the outside wall with his mighty flames. Providing aid beside him is the majestic figure of the winged king, Bahamut, likewise unloading heavy blasts of solar-based energy from his gaping jaws.

"Monsters! We're under attack by monsters!!!"

"Don't just sit there screaming like a yellow-bellied Moomba, you twit!" Motumba hollers to his incompetent monitor sentry. "Activate the lasers and destroy those beasts!"

"Uh... At once, sir!"

Outside, two smirking faces watch as the pair of Guardian Forces continue their onslaught on the enemy stronghold. Zell and Selphie had previously agreed to throw all caution out the window in their endeavor to break into the terrorists' underground base. Deeming it the quickest way, the SeeDs chose the mighty solar-based powers of Ifrit and Bahamut to expedite the task of breaking down the front fortification. 

They were on the verge of success when Selphie's expression transformed from jubilant to grim upon spotting the emergence of a half dozen turrets with the same laser guns that attacked them the day previous.

"Zell, the GFs are in danger!" She hollers to the martial artist who likewise saw the impending back attack.

"Damn! He exclaims while trying to think of a way to protect their Guardians. "Wish we have Quezacotl with us. Why does Squall always have him junctioned, anyway?"

"Let's think about that later." Selphie quips back while falling in a brief meditation. 

Responding to her summons, a pseudo-comet suddenly appears from thin air and assumes the form of a dimensional portal, whence a fluid, snaking form subsequently starts to ooze out. Slithering ominously over the laser turrets, the elongated spirit glows brightly, transforming into the shape of the stalwart Water Guardian, Leviathan. Soaring into the air, the mystical sea serpent leaves a vertical residue of rocks and debris that collected themselves into a tall cliff where, perching momentarily on top of it, Leviathan explodes into a torrent of violently gushing water. It mercilessly pummels the mechanical miscreants, bridging segregated circuits and rendering safety insulations for naught, causing the laser cannons to collapse due to severe short-circuiting and effectively neutralizing the threat they pose.

The breakdown of the laser guns was quickly followed by a loud explosion that completely destroyed the gates. Inside, a large battalion of terrorists had already assembled. Responding to the call of their battalion commander, the fearless and resolute mercenaries promptly aimed their guns toward the opening to the hallway that leads up to the main gate, intent into blasting whoever or whatever emerges from it into kingdom come.

His face stern as a legendary warrior, the commander begins to holler his commands.

"Ready!"

Subtle tremblings start to shake the place. The brave warriors steel themselves. 

"Aim!"

Guns start cocking, followed by muzzles rearing their fearful snouts in the direction of the hallway. They are ready for anything that comes their way.

But not this.

"RUN!!!" screams the battalion commander upon setting eyes on the attacking forms of Ifrit and Bahamut. In less than a second, the front hallway was emptied of terrorists just as the two Guardian Forces began to disappear, revealing Zell and Selphie who were running right behind them.

"Ready-Aim-Run? What kind of a command is that?" A smirking Zell exclaims.

"Heh, fun stuff." Selphie replies. "Come on, we gotta get to the hangar before more of those creeps arrive."

"Oh, you mean more of them?" he snaps, pointing to another platoon who had just emerged from the oversized freight elevator. It was too late to run, the two surmises. Assuming battle stances, Selphie and Zell begin to brace themselves in anticipation of a furious battle.

"Charge!!!" hollered the leader of the terrorists armed with heavy swords. Instinctively, the two SeeDs separate in an effort to provide room for them to move. Deeming it necessary to gain more freedom of movement, Selphie unchains the twin rods, holding one each in her two hands. Displaying a different facet of her mastery, the Trabian lass whirls the two halves gracefully, deftly swinging them to fend off the attack of two of the six opponents she's facing.

One unfortunate enemy made the mistake of attacking Zell alone without the assistance of the five others left in the sidelines. Quick, gloved hands move like lightning, slapping the incoming blade on its broadside to disrupt the ill-advised attack. The opponent then falls after a rapid-fire of left jabs to the face. Zell takes a moment to breathe, then turns his attention to the remaining five.

Only four remaining. Using the first two fallen thugs as leverage, Selphie launches into the air en route to a twisting backflip and landing right behind her adversaries. She then kicks one hard behind the knee, after which the SeeD connects the two rods back prior to a sweeping strike that connected on the heads of two more terrorists.

One to go. Ducking to avoid the terrorist's swing, Zell lunges upward, his right fist cutting a swath in the air as it makes its devastating path toward the enemy's lower abdominal area. Somehow, Zell's fist got snagged underneath its rib cage, with the punch momentum causing him to lift the terrorist over his head. Displaying no mercy, Zell then turns his arm to the other side and slams the enemy hard on the wrought iron scaffolding.

"Shoot! There's more coming!" Selphie shouts upon seeing another company fast approaching their position.

"Let them come." Zell curtly responds while reassuming a fighting stance. However, he was prevented to engage by his Trabian partner.

"No! We have no time for that!" she exclaims, casting a catastrophic Quake spell to knock the enemies off their feet. She then runs off to a dark corridor with Zell following suit.

* * *

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the main monitor room of the underground base was anything but pleasant, as Magyar Mutomba watches from the monitor screens the two intruders successfully reach the outer access junction. He knows that a few more yards of progress will eventually lead them to the hangar.

"I'm getting sick of this!" the baneful terrorist leader blurts out. "I want to crush the heads of these two imbeciles."

"Uhh... with all due respect, sir, why not do it?" his aide braves an inquiry. "I mean, I've been noticing that you're keeping half of our forces at bay... I was just thinking maybe..."

"I can't." Magyar interrupts. "My hands are tied."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"I said..." he begins to blurt out. But the remark he was about to reiterate suddenly starts to reverberate repeatedly in his mind. Motumba focuses on the unfortunate fact that he does feel like his hands are tied. But for what reason? The whim of a contractor whom he deems as eccentric? Should he still abide to what he believes as a senseless call when he knows his forces are being trounced like amatuers as this very moment?

"No..." he mumbles to himself. Suddenly realizing that his pride is on the line, the vile terrorist leader decides to disregard the primary directive issued to him by his arcane employer. He then turns to the aide behind him.

"Order all our men to converge in the hangar. Tell them to make sure that those SeeDs never make it out of this base alive."

* * *

"Finally!" Zell blurts out as he and Selphie found their way to the end of the long hallway where they subdued a half-dozen more contingent of intercepting terrorists. Emerging in a vast chamber, the two warriors let out sighs of relief upon setting eyes to their objective: the prototype bomber dubbed VY-1.

"Let's go. You power up the engines while I head for the control room to open the hangar door." Selphie instructs her partner. However, they were prevented anew from their goal when another portal at the opposite side of the chamber starts to slide open, from where a large number of gunmen came running out with machine guns blazing.

"Shit!" Zell shouts out. "Selphie, take cover!"

Scampering frantically to shelter themselves from the lethal bombardment, the two SeeDs dove behind a stack of heavy crates bearing unfamiliar markings. For the next few seconds, the embattled pair was unable to do anything other than keep themselves from being hit by the storm of bullets.

In the midst of the barrage, Zell looks around to find that they're right underneath the control room. However, to his utter dismay, he also saw that the bomber itself was situated at least a few dozen yards away from the position they were forced into. Out of utter desperation, the martial artist came up with an incredibly risky plan that he knows will certainly expose himself to mortal danger.

"Selphie, I have an idea."

"What?"

"The control room is right above us. You can easily sneak into it. But we're pretty far off from the VY-1..." they were momentarily interrupted by a ricocheting bullet. "... Here's what we'll do. I'm gonna try and run to the bomber while you provide some cover for me."

"No way!" Selphie snaps back. "I can't let you do that, there are too many of them."

"We have no choice, Sef. That's the only way for us to escape." Zell argues.

"Why don't we just cast a couple of Meteors and Ultimas on them? Or summon some GFs?"

"We can't!" he disagrees. "It's too risky, we might end up damaging the VY-1."

"At least you don't have to go risking your life like that."

Zell momentarily stops talking, and stares into Selphie's eyes with a soft look in his face.

"No..." he comes back anew. "Our mission is to return that machine to Esthar. And that's exactly what we're going to do, whatever happens."

"But..." Selphie utters, fear evident in her verdant eyes. Though she feels a desparate want to just keep Zell beside her, she knows she can't do that. They are, after all, still on a mission, however much she wants to disregard its directives if only to keep him from this life-threatening attempt.

"No buts. I gotta go now. Cover me!" Zell declares before preparing for a quick dash. But then he felt soft hands land a tight grip on his own. Zell turns back to his worried teammate, who seemed reluctant in letting him go.

"Zell..." Selphie trails off. For one terrible instant, Zell felt like giving in.

And he did. The two SeeDs spent a few moments as their arms wrap around each other, their lips fusing together once more as if it's the only right thing to do. It took one Herculean effort for Zell to force himself to pry Selphie's arms off his neck.

He waits for a pause during which he expects the gunmen to reload their weapons. And at the first lapse, Zell instantly darts out from behind their hiding place while Selphie stands up to cast a succession of Quake and Tornado spells. Preoccupied by the powerful magic attacks, the enemies tried desperately to fire in the direction of the running Zell, but they were likewise unsuccessful in the midst of another tremor conjurement. Selphie breathes deeply when she saw Zell successfully boarding the VY-1. She then proceeds up the hatch leading to the control room.

"Rock 'n Roll!!!" the martial artist hollers upon hearing the immensely welcome humming sound of the bomber's rocket engine. Arming the 60mm machine guns, Zell starts firing toward the direction of the terrorists to provide cover for Selphie, who was then already running toward him after successfully entering the commands to open the hangar door.

Finally, the bullet proof canopy closes over the two warriors. With eager fingers, Zell presses the button to fire off the bomber's main thrusters amidst the hail of gunfire from the terrorists desperate on preventing the ship from taking off.

"They're doing a lot of damage to each other." Zell scoffs while watching how the bullets bounce back toward the terrorists.

"Just shut up and fly this thing, Mr. Pilot. Let's get the hell outta here." Selphie jokingly ordered.

"Yes ma'am." the brash SeeD retorts while pushing the throttle to maximum. Deafening roars coupled with superhot exhaust gases start to fill the hangar as the VY-1 begins to lift off, hurtling into the air at maximum power to ultimately leave a defeated terrorist army behind.

__

- end of part 5 -


	6. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

Part 6

"You disobeyed my orders." the raspy voice reverberates from the comm console. Magyar Motumba feels a knot in his stomach. But the longer he peers into the shadowy figure, the more he resolves to project an unfazed look.

"Orders? Orders?!?" he returns scornfully. "Look, whoever you are, I don't care how high and mighty you think you are or how much you're paying me to do this job. No one orders Magyar Motumba around. Nobody!"

A brief silence permeates before the incognito figure responded to Motumba.

"You think I'm high and might. You think I'm paying you a lot of money for this job. Good. But you're forgetting one more detail."

"Yeah?" Motumba sneers back. "What is it?"

"You're forgetting who constructed that base that's been keeping your lame excuse for an army from freezing like worthless icicles."

"Awww, you mean this little underground headquarters that you gave us? You want it back? Sure, I can give it back to you. I think it's too freakin' dated anyway."

The shadow chortles.

"On the contrary, I would be glad for you and your people to stay there, if you wish."

"Oh, okay." Motumba quips, relinquishing his hostile demeanor. "Maybe I can still live with this dump for now."

"That's right." the mysterious client responds. "For the next five seconds... and counting."

* * *

Selphie bellows a sigh. It's been a long time since she last saw these snow-covered terrains comprising Bika Snowfields. She remembers her old home, Trabia Garden, and wonders what her old schoolmates are doing at this very moment. She feels a tempting urge to ask Zell if they can drop by, but the requisites of their mission takes precedence in her mind. Gradually, the white snow thins, giving way to the thick green of Grandidi Forest.

Zell notices her prolonged silence. Finally deciphering the controls for the autopilot, he enters the coordinates of Esthar Airstation before relinquishing control of the aircraft, then turns to his comrade.

"You're thinking about Trabia Garden, aren't you?" he thoughtfully asks.

Selphie turns a sweet smile toward him. "Yeah..." 

Her eyes are replete with meaning. And though Zell doesn't exactly know how to describe it, he can't avoid feeling warm all over as his own vision basks in the tender hue of those emerald pupils.

"You wanna swing by there and say hello to everyone?"

Selphie's smile widens. "I'd love to, but we're on a timetable here. Let's just take this thing to Esthar and get done with it."

"Okay." he complies. "Maybe we can pay them a visit after this... Just the two of us..."

Bowing her head, the Trabian lass tries to hide the immense thrill she felt upon hearing her comrade's sugary remark. Yet she quickly extinguishes the thought. What will she tell Josie if the latter asks why she's Zell, and not Irvine.

Another quiet stretch transpires, before Zell opts to break the ice anew.

"Selphie..."

"Yes, Zell?"

"What..." he gropes, trying to find the right question to ask. "What do you think happened back there?"

"Well, like what you said, I don't know. How about you? You still clueless?" she responds with a question of her own prior to interrupting herself. "But before you answer, please try not to be a jerk this time. I don't want us to end up fighting again."

"Sorry." he apologizes. "Anyway, to answer your question... I... I still don't know."

"Really...?"

"But..." Zell intermits. "I do know that when it happened, I didn't stop it because... I don't want to."

Selphie throws an even more meaningful look towards her teammate while he continues.

"I guess... I guess I want it to happen..." his voice fades slightly. "I can't think of any other way to explain it."

"Then don't." She snaps back. "It's not like we intended for this thing to come down. It just happened. And there's nothing we can do about it because it's done."

Another stretch of silence, broken this time by a pondering Selphie.

"Strange, isn't it?" she starts. "We've been like, teammates for a pretty long while now. You're one of my very first friends when I first came to Balamb Garden. And that's what I've always thought of you, even though you can be a real jerk sometimes." Zell lets out a snicker while Selphie goes on.

"Then we met Irvine, and because of him we found out that we've been together way longer than that. We've practically known each other all our lives... and yet..."

She dallies. Zell waits intently for her to continue.

"And yet... after all this time, I never expected to see you in this light." Selphie echoes her profound thought. "I've known you all this time as my friend. But now... now I... it's like I'm starting to know you all over again... from a different point of view. Just wondering, do you feel the same way for me?"

The martial artist smiles again, nodding to the Trabian lass sincerely in confirming her thoughtful question. He then stares at her, locking his eyes upon her own. Here they are right now, wondering with much amazement how two people who had always treated each other in a way that practically falls short of how siblings would, could actually find themselves seriously considering a totally different and whole new regard for each other. 

Pondering deeply, they ask themselves: how could this come to pass? Why did they find themselves suddenly fueled with this strange emotion now mightily urging them to venture unto unknown frontiers? Why are they all of the sudden feeling this way for each other? Could it be possible that they have always regarded each other in this light, but never knew it before due to less than conducive circumstances? Has this feeling always been there, hidden by a false cloak of indifference, and merely waiting for the right time to powerfully release its unstoppable onslaught to subjugate their helpless hearts?

Their helpless hearts... they tug relentlessly. Tearing sounds echo from the gloves coming off Zell's hands. He reaches out to Selphie, tenderly holding her hand and in the same manner, pulling her close to him. Longing lips press against each other once more, in one intoxicating moment that rendered them completely unaware of the outside world. As they kiss, they become one; two solitary beings revelling in the warmth of each other's touch. When their lips parted, moans of frustration echo, followed by sweet, deeply moving smiles.

"This is freaky..." Selphie whispers.

"What, the kiss?" Zell asks softly.

"No..." she returns. "That was... very nice. What I mean by freaky is... gosh, I'm kissing you...!"

"Nope..." he quips. "I'm kissing you..."

Their lips once again meet. This time, the kiss was hungrier, longer, much more intense. They are thus trapped in the imprisoning passion of a deep and powerful yearning to be one with the other. His arms eagerly wrap around her back; her fingers dig deeply into his shoulders.

The navigator console beeps loudly to herald the approach to Esthar Airstation.

"Damn..." Zell echoes while relinquishing his hold of her. Selphie whines, frustrated by the interruption. Neverthless, they prudently gather themselves in preparation for their arrival.

"So what do we do now?" the martial artist voices out. "I mean, this is something we can give a try if not for..."

"Iris and Irvine?" She interrupts. Zell tosses a concurring glance at her.

"Well... I really don't know." she answers, her voice reeking of regret. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way but... Irvine is still my boyfriend..."

He feels a pinch deep inside his chest. However, Zell opts once more for the prudent way, as he himself agrees to the fact that one night can hardly offset the solid foundation laid down by a year-long relationship. Besides, he thinks, if Selphie feels that she still loves Irvine even after everything that's happened during the last 48 hours, he can certainly admit to himself that his feelings for Iris cannot be erased just like that.

But still, there is this new, and admittedly strong feelings they now apparently have for each other. Consequently, Selphie and Zell recognizes the complicated situation they have just allowed to prevail.

"What a mess..." he blurts out, to which Selphie retorts in agreement.

"Yeah..."

Not long after, the wide, elevated landing port of the Airstation starts to become visible. Zell lets out a resounding groan, sluggishly moving forward to deactivate the autopilot before taking hold of the control stick. Selphie turns to him again with a sad smile.

"You don't suppose we can, like, not see each other for three months..."

"And after that, meet on the top of some tall building if we still feel this way?" Zell continues. "Heh, I've seen that movie too, you know..."

Selphie chuckles, then falls back to a melancholic state. Soon afterwards, the VY-1 bomber finally touches down on the reinforced landing port, where they were met by three important-looking Estharian military officials. Climbing down quietly from the aircraft, the two SeeDs briefly conferred with the officers while taking note of the presence of the Ragnarok. Selphie retreats, not knowing whether to be pleased or not with the possibility of Irvine being present in Esthar.

Soon after, Zell and Selphie heard voices calling their names. Emerging from the open elevator were Irvine and Squall, who happened to be in Esthar as part of a SeeD contingent carrying on an escort operation for the Winhill governor currently attending a summit in the city's Presidential Palace. Selphie hesitates for a second, but nevertheless runs to Irvine just the same.

Looking on at the pair, Zell deliberates on how to react to this compromising situation. Fortunately for him, he was spared from the dilemma when Squall approached him.

"Good job. We heard about it from the central dispatcher." the SeeD leader begins.

"Yeah, thanks..." Zell returns, throwing a brief glance at Selphie and Irvine. "But we failed to capture a prisoner for questioning. We can always go back, though. I know where the terrorists' base is."

"Go back?" Squall quizzically retorts. "Go back to what?"

Zell becomes puzzled with Squall's question. "What do you mean?"

"We received confirmation that the terrorist base blew up right after you left." Squall answers. "I even thought you and Selphie were the ones who set up the explosion."

"What? We never did such a thing. We had no time to do that."

"Really? Strange..."

"Did anyone survive the explosion?" the martial artist asks back, mildly surprised when Squall replied negatively.

"Nope, no one survived." 

A bizzare incident, Zell ponders deeply. Recalling the time he and Selphie spent in running around the base while trying to locate the hangar, he doesn't remember the interior operations as being exceptionally intrinsic to warrant the use of a sophisticated and conceivably delicate power source. Whatever caused an explosion of that magnitude has to be the work of a saboteur. But he knows very little, if any, background information surrounding this particular task that can serve as lead to point to any foul play. A disgruntled henchman, perhaps?

He then spawns a question in mind regarding Squall's and Irvine's presence in Esthar. "By the way, what are you two doing here? Don't tell me you were waiting for us."

"Hardly." the SeeD leader retorts. "We just happen to be here as escorts for Governor Markkon. There's a summit about to start two days from now."

"Really? About what?"

"Not sure. But Laguna... err... President Loire said they need to discuss what they're going to do with Timber now that Galbadia is about to grant its independence."

"Cool!" Zell blurts out. "I bet Rinoa's feeling pretty pumped up with all this?"

"I'll say. She's actually among the delegates attending the summit."

"Really? How did that happen?"

"Well," Squall beams. "She's representing the Forest Owls. Watts is also there, together with Madam Ferrin Soxa of the Forest Fox."

"Oh okay. What about Zone?"

"He can't make it." the SeeD commander replies with a grin. "Indigestion."

"Why am I not surprised?" Zell remarks with rolling eyes.

Squall then opts to close the conversation upon observing Zell's apparent exhaustion. "Come on, let's talk about that later. You and Selphie need to rest, looks like the two of you went through hell."

Zell didn't answer. In a way, he thought, it may as well be sweet hell... depending on how this terrible conflict will be resolved.

__

- end of part 6 -


	7. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

****

Part 7

"Strange..." she mumbles.

"What is?"

"... ..."

"Quisty...?"

"Oh, nothing, Squall. Nothing..." the instructor answers. But Squall knows Quistis too well to disregard her unusual mood. However, the typical attitude of the SeeD leader prevails, opting to continue on with his impromptu meeting with his comrade.

"... Okay. Governor Markkon said he's been receiving the death threats since he went to Trabia Garden for that benefit convention."

"Benefit convention? Trabia Garden? My, Governor Markkon is sure going places these days. I wonder what his agenda is..." Quistis thinks aloud.

Squall remains still, groping furiously for anything and any clue they may have missed. Looking down from the the first floor mezzanine, he catches sight of Selphie loitering around the the entrance to the training center. He fails to notice that Quistis is likewise observing the Trabian lass intently.

Hatching an idea, Squall turns to the instructor to share his thoughts. He was nevertheless baffled by her irrelevant remark.

"Aren't you noticing anything strange about Selphie lately?"

Squall tosses another glance at Selphie, then comes back to Quistis. "No... Do I look like I'm someone who goes about observing other people's behavior?"

The instructor scoffs. "Yeah, silly of me. Anyway... I just noticed that... she seems somewhat detached since you guys came back from Esthar this afternoon."

"What's so strange about that? Maybe she's tired. Or maybe she's just griping about not seeing that new Daryll Ng movie. I mean, there could be a lot of possible reasons behind her behavior."

Quistis shakes her head. "I don't know... I just have this feeling... ... Do you think something happened when they were in Trabia? Something... out of the ordinary?"

"Like what?"

"Like... I don't know. Something really, really out of the ordinary."

A wild thought invades the mind of the SeeD leader that made him gawk at his colleague with wrinkled eyebrows. Quistis returns his questioning look, then raises her right brows when he suddenly burst out laughing.

"What in the world is so funny?" the instructor questions, almost annoyed by the somewhat condescending guffaw.

"Nothing..." Squall retorts amidst frenzied snickers. "The way you're alluding this 'out of the ordinary thing', someone would think you're suggesting Zell and Selphie had an affair or something."

With lips pouting, Quistis glares at Squall, not knowing whether to be insulted or not. However, the comical appearance of the chortling SeeD commander eventually brought the instructor to a laughing fit of her own. They were so engrossed with the spirited hilarity that they didn't notice the approaching Cid Kramer.

"Glad to see that Balamb Garden's two foremost SeeDs are getting along quite well." he opens. "Mind sharing the object of your rather vigorous delight?"

"Nothing, Headmaster..." Quistis replies while wiping off the moisture from her eyes. "It's just that Squall here..."

"Squall here what?" Cid gropes, but Quistis was laughing so hard she wasn't able to go on with her statement.

"Nevermind, Headmaster." Quistis finally exclaims while regrouping. "It's just so silly I... Oh my...!"

A wondering Cid had to wait, scratching his head in amusement until the two SeeDs finally stopped their rambunctious laughing fit. Squall was the first one to talk.

"That was a good one... man!" he quips. "You'd have to excuse me, Headmaster, Quistis. I need to be back at Esthar City early tomorrow. Quistis, let's continue this later."

"Sure. Good night, Squall"

Unknown to the trio, Selphie heard their excessively noisy gathering, bringing her to hide herself from their view. Looking at her watch, she impatiently fidgets after realizing that it's already way past 10 PM. Shortly, she hears approaching footsteps. Her heart starts beating rapidly when Irvine emerged from the hallway leading to the parking lot.

"Sef, what are you doing here?"

"Hi Irvy..." she greets back. "Nothing, just taking a walk."

"But shouldn't you be back in your quarters and resting?" Irvine echoes his concern. "You still look like roadkill, you know."

"Yeah, I know... But I can't sleep..." Selphie answers, abruptly stopping herself for fear she might spew out something that she shouldn't.

Noticing her unusually somber mood, the gunslinger pulls the Trabian lass close to her and puts his arm over her shoulders. "Been thinking about Trabia Garden, huh. I kinda expected that after I heard your mission objective was there."

She looks at him, trying hard to hide the guilt threatening to manifest in her face. "Yeah... that's right. I'm thinking about Trabia..."

"Tell you what. First thing tomorrow morning, let's go over to the Headmaster and ask for a few days off so we can visit Trabia Garden together. How does that sound?"

A hollow gorge promptly opens up inside her chest. Selphie wanted to cry due to this terrible guilt overwhelming her fragile conscience in the midst of her lover's tender display of affection. Fearing that she might just be unable to contain herself, she opts to maintain her silence until they reached the door to her quarters. Selphie faces Irvine, who then lands a gentle kiss on her lips. She consequently feels that gorge grow even bigger. 

"Good night." he softly echoes. "Get some rest, okay? I love you..."

"Thanks..." she mutters. "I... I love you too..."

* * *

He looks at the digital display in his alarm clock. It's past 11 PM. Turning his head to the other side, Zell sees the serene form of Iris, soundly sleeping beside him. He mumbles silent words of envy on his girlfriend for her evident peace of mind that easily allowed her to fall to a deep slumber. Unlike her, he can't sleep. For the last hour, Zell's mind has been preoccupied with a dilemma born of recently transpired events. He then remembers something.

"Oh shit...!" he exclaims in his mind. Consequently, the exhausted SeeD sets the ringer on the phone next to him to silent mode. And just in time too, as he notices the call indicator lighting up almost as soon as he flipped the switch.

Lifting the handset slowly, Zell answers with a cautious whisper.

"Hello..."

"You stood me up." a crestfallen voice echoes from the earpiece.

"Selphie, I'm sorry..."

"What happened to you?"

"Iris is here." he quietly mutters. "She's asleep right now."

At the other end of the line, a disappointed Selphie bites her lips while feeling a terrible stabbing sensation in her heart. She nevertheless chooses to take control of her emotions.

"So that's why you're whispering." she voices out gloomily. "Anyway, sorry I bothered you. I'm hanging up now..."

"Wait-wait-wait-wait..." Zell speedily comes back. "I'm moving to the bathroom. You wanna tell me something...?"

"No. Let's just talk tomorrow, okay? You might wake Iris up."

"It's alright. I'm in the bathroom now. Come on, talk to me."

"Zell..." Selphie sighs, almost reluctant to continue. "This... this is impossible."

He didn't answer, terribly dreading the potential follow up to this obviously suggestive remark made by his teammate-turned-secret-lover. And as if knowing what's happening on the other end, Selphie clutches her chest, as if the meager strength of her hand is enough to quell the growing storm of despondency threatening to devour her fortitude.

"I'm sorry." Selphie continues. "I know you're having a hard time right now with what I said."

"Yes, I am." he shoots back. "But..."

Zell hesitates, not knowing whether to continue his statement or not. Because he knows that by carrying on with what he has to say, he might just reflect an impression of wanting to suggest an end to all of this. Zell doesn't want to give Selphie that impression; he knows that he will be hurting her if he makes that mistake. Besides, he's also aware that he will be hurting himself in the process.

"But what...?" she urges him to continue. Zell then deems that whatever reluctance he has at the moment, he still has to voice out his sentiments.

"But... but I understand you. I do..."

"You understand me. So... does that mean you want us to stop this...?"

"That's what you're going to tell me, right?"

Selphie closes her eyes. Objectively speaking, she knows what should be done to give a finality to all this repressed feelings and imprisoned desires to expressed their emotions. She thinks that maybe, just maybe, if they both agree to just forget about everything that happened back in Trabia, it will kill whatever longing they have to secretly pursue this relationship.

"That's the right thing to do, right?" she comes back. "... Right...?"

"... R... Right..." Zell sullenly concurs. "I think that's exactly what we should do... to be fair with everyone..."

Selphie bellows a warm groan replete with utter frustration. "Oh well... we'd be better off that way..."

But the thought of not seeing Zell again, not touching him again, and not kissing him again, the way the two of them did during their escape from the eco-terrorist base, is -- admittedly -- killing her. Frankly, she doesn't know if she can deal with the thought.

"Is... is that what you really want to happen, Zell?"

He wanted to say yes, yet Zell finds the task incredibly difficult. He was just about to bang his head against the bathroom mirror when Iris' voice starts penetrating through the closed door.

"Selphie, I gotta go." he falls back to a whisper. "Let's just talk tomorrow, okay? Iris and Xu are going to Dollet tomorrow for the annual trainee consultation."

"Okay..." she mutters, hesitant to place the phone back to the main set. A resounding click at the other end then echoes, prompting the confused girl to put the receiver down. Drumming her fingers along the phone's keypad, Selphie ponders for a way to resolve this horrible dilemma, cussing at herself for not thinking of any way out. She then looks at the framed picture of Irvine standing on top of the bedside table.

"Irvy... you had better be extra-wonderful starting tomorrow." she says to the picture. "Or else... or else..."

Or else what?

"... I can't go on like this..."

* * *

"Sef? Sefie?" Irvine's voice reverberates through the closed door. Waking up with a start, Selphie sluggishly rubs her eyes. They feel sore, fatigued, stemming from the fact that it was merely two hours ago when she fell asleep. Now it's already six in the morning and she feels like she had just fought Ultimecia all over again.

Trying not to stumble, Selphie gets up and wobbles toward the door which opened to the sight of her sheepish-looking lover. She blinks her eyes some more, then tries to focus them to her early visitor.

"Hi Irv... What's up?"

"Sef..." he starts. "Uhh... Sorry to say this, but I'm afraid we have to postpone our vacation. Headmaster Cid ordered me to go back to Esthar with Squall."

"Really...?" she responds, still feeling tired. "Okay. I need to get some more sleep anyway. Take care, okay? And hurry back."

She sinks down to the floor after locking the door behind her. Looking back at the desk clock, Selphie moans before lazily picking herself up. She then remembers the phone conversation she had with Zell during the previous night... and how the lack of resolution in their predicament has brought her to a somewhat conlicted sense of looking forward to the day's events. 

Maybe they can find a way to resolve this, she thinks. Or maybe, some dumb luck will strike the two of them, and they'll find out that their respective partners really don't care about them as much as before.

A cutting feeling streaks across her heart. Irvine not loving her anymore? Doesn't it sound a bit too far-fetched?

Far-fetched? Or Unthinkable. Is she ready to accept such a truth if it does become truth?

No use thinking about it, she concludes. Absentmindedly grabbing a fresh towel, Selphie goes for the shower room. The gushing lukewarm water feels so good flowing down her entirety. Selphie needs this. She welcomes this. As the soothing touch of pouring water gently caresses her unprotected form, Selphie smiles in recollection of the many times she shared moments like this with Irvine.

Her face then forms a sad grimace. Has Zell already done that with Iris too? 

Maybe. Most likely.

Would she then want to be in Iris' place? Is she ready for that next step?

Selphie curses. How could she be thinking of the next step when they both have yet to decide on a clear direction for this relationship? And besides, they still have to worry about the people they'll be hurting.

Like Irvine.

"Damn..."

* * *

It's already been more than a minute now, Iris estimates. She had momentarily stepped to the next table to talk to Xu about the consultation mission they'll be embarking on an hour from now. It took her a measly minute. Yet when she came back to her table, the five hotdogs lying on Zell's plate are still five hotdogs.

Iris never, ever thought she'd see the day.

"Zell?" she calls while resting her forehand on the side of his neck. "Are you sick? You haven't touched your hotdogs yet."

"Whu...?" he quips, as if awaking from a trance. "Oh... uh, no, I'm fine. I'm just... I'm not hungry, that's all."

"Not hungry? Zell," Iris returns with slight confusion. "I've never seen anything freakier than Deed dating a lamer. What's wrong you? You still... tired?" She adds, her lips forming a somewhat naughty grin. Though feeling forlorn, Zell can't help but smile at the pigtailed girl's joke.

"No, I'm fine. Just thinking about something..."

"Oh alright." she relinquishes. "We'll be leaving in a few minutes, and we might not be back until tomorrow so..." Iris trails off, subsequently smothering Zell with a tight kiss. He would have welcomed it if he hadn't glanced toward the direction of the cafeteria entrance, where the surprised martial artist saw Selphie looking on to them. Her eyes are sad, jealousy evident in them.

"Hi Selphie!" Iris waves at the Trabian girl after letting go of Zell. Somewhat hesitant, Selphie nevertheless decides to approach them, with the pigtailed girl landing a cheerful kiss on her cheeks when she came within reach.

Both Zell and Selphie feel a disturbing diffidence at the scenario.

"Do me a favor, Sef, and keep an eye on Zell for me. I'll never know when some hopeless fangirl will try to come on to him again." Iris says, more in jesting. But it all the more made Selphie feel immensely uncomfortable.

"S-Sure, Iris." she forces out. "Don't worry. I won't let him out of my sight."

He taps his fingers lightly along the round edge of the untouched plate. Iris has been gone for close to five minutes, yet the two fidgety SeeDs remain there, unmoving and silent. Selphie then leans toward Zell, her voice soft and wispy with the first utterance of words for this day aimed at communicating with her teammate.

"So..."

"... So..." he looks back at her.

"You heard what Iris said. I mustn't take my eyes off you."

"Hmph..." he scoffs. Looking around, Zell tries to observe the behaviors of the others students, thinking that someone might be observing the two of them too.

"Don't worry." Selphie says upon noticing his intent. "They are quite used to seeing us together, you know."

"So, you wanna talk?" Zell finally asks. "Where to?"

"Um... Certainly not here. There's a lot of rather... important things I wanna tell you since last night..."

"Uh... yeah..." his voice fades, feeling a slight guilt in light of his awareness of her knowledge of the previous night's event. "Sorry but... she insisted on spending the night."

"Hey, don't apologize to me, Zell." Selphie returns firmly. "I myself won't apologize to you if Irvine had spent the night in my room."

"Okay, point taken. So..." he continues. "Where to?"

Feigning a look of deep thought, Selphie mumbles incoherently. When she came back to Zell, her face is serious, intentful. Seeing her expression, the martial artist wasn't even half-surprised by her hard-hitting suggestion.

"Come on, let's go to my room."

__

- end of part 7 -


	8. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

****

Part 8

The man in the silver overalls can't help smiling while recalling the face of his brother. Pushing in his late forties, the hangar technician remembers fondly the party he organized for his brother's only child, who happened to be dying of a rare degenerative disease. She just turned six, and since two years previous the little girl had been clamoring for an audience with Mary Huang, popular TV star, teen idol and host of the internationally acclaimed children's show _Legends of Mana_. It nearly cost him an arm and a leg. Nearly, if not for the teen star's generous offer of giving her services for free.

Mary even offered to have the little girl as guest in her weekend morning TV show. And the elder technician has decided that he wouldn't miss seeing that episode for the world. There's no way he's not going to see his beloved niece on TV.

But all of it had to change when he was threatened with termination by his work superior, who had earlier ordered him to report for duty to spruce up the recovered VY-1 bomber prior to its delivery back to its owner, Jerico & Indiana. The disgruntled technician winces in the frustrating fact that he had to miss his niece's short moment of glory to keep his job. Grudgingly, the middle-aged man continues on with his chore.

He feels a slight bout of queasiness, yet ignores it. Must be some sign of old age, he surmises. He would have totally disregarded the unpleasant sensation if it had not started to get worse as he draws nearer to the prototype bomber.

"What's wrong with me...?" he blurts out, continuing to approach the aircraft. Within five more yards, he feels his legs buckle and his skin getting a choppy feeling. Shortly after, the man falls down to the textured floor.

* * *

There's about a half dozen corridors in the newly constructed SeeD Wing of Balamb Garden's dormitory section, all branching out from a central hub with a direct connection to the cafeteria hallway. Subdivided by student number ranges, the radiating network provides one of the most comfortable accomodations for military academy cadets since Galbadia Garden. Normally desolate since the resident SeeDs only come to this place to rest, this system of corridors is perhaps one of the most quiet places in Garden, even more than the library.

Perhaps that's why Zell is exercising extreme caution while traversing the corridor leading to section Dh. Stopping short of the next corner, he peeps carefully around the wall edge to see if anyone's present. Meanwhile, an amused Selphie giggles at what she describes as a very comical appearance of the cautious SeeD.

"Zell, will you stop with this cloak and dagger routine. So what if someone sees us walking around here?"

"You'll never know when someone might think differently about us, Sefie. Best be prepared." Zell whispers.

"Oh, you are so paranoid." scoffs Selphie.

"And you..." the martial artist suddenly turns toward her, grabbing her shoulders in the process. "are so irresistable. Come here!"

Again, the two SeeDs become locked in a passionate kiss, with Zell turning the two of them around to rest Selphie against the cool polymer wall. They would have totally been lost in the romantic revelry had Selphie not heard the clicking footsteps coming from the corridor perpendicular to the one they are at. Consequently, she immediately squirms out of Zell's hold.

"Someone's coming!" she mutters. They had just broken out of their embrace when Quistis emerged from the other hallway.

"Oh good. I was just looking for the two of you." echoes the instructor.

"Really...?" Zell stutters, looking at Selphie who was likewise slightly paling. "Well, you found us. Wassup, Quisty?"

Quistis hesitates slightly, detecting an unfamiliar ambiance enveloping the place as she looks at her two colleagues. Opting to ignore her cognizance, she then begins to state her business.

"I need to talk to you about that retrieval mission you just came back from. There's something that I need to clear out before filing a closure to this case." she starts. "Follow me to the briefing room."

The lengthy walk to the second floor briefing room was uncharacteristically silent, with Zell and Selphie both wondering -- quite nervously -- what this thing is that Quistis wishes to clarify. They are now both feeling paranoid, seriously considering an off-chance that the perceptive instructor may have just stumbled into this precarious secret they have between them.

The silence didn't escape Quistis' attention. However, she persists in ignoring her gut feeling in favor of the official matter at hand. As they finally enter through the secure door of the briefing room, she turns on the main workstation connected to Balamb Garden's Cray supercomputer.

Selphie's eyebrows meet upon setting her eyes on the display. "Is that the destroyed terrorist base?"

"That's right." Quistis answers. "Right after Headmaster Cid received word of the base's explosion, he immediately requested Laguna to send in rescue troops to confirm if you two made it out of there alive. Good thing you did."

"Tell me about it." Zell seconds. "We didn't even know it's gonna blow up. We just got into the bomber and flew off. Anyway, what about that base?"

"Do you see the faint green ring going around the wreckage?" the instructor says while pointing out the green outline. "What do you think it is?"

"Beats the hell outta me." Selphie quips. "What is that?"

"Preliminary analysis shows that those are traces of a very unstable chemical called Triserenilite, or TSL." Quistis returns. "As you both know, TSL is a compound used to generate electric power in places hardly reached by such conventional power sources such as hydroelectric or geothermal. However, because of its inherent instability, its use was discontinued and even short of condemned long before the first Sorceress war. Now this shouldn't be a significant thing except that we also know that TGL can only be made using the illegal substance called Mako element. Mako element, as you also know, is highly volatile and extremely radioactive."

"I know." the Trabian SeeD agrees. "I was hit by a Mako powered laser while we were carrying out the mission."

"Yeah, that's right." the martial artist follows up. "Apparently, those mooks have enough supply of Mako to make TSL for powering that base. Maybe something went wrong that's why the base blew up."

"Is that what you think, Zell? I mean, the destruction looks pretty systematic to me. Are you sure it wasn't sabotage?"

"We, we can't rule that out too, Quisty. But I doubt you can dig up any kind of evidence from that mess."

Quistis pauses to contemplate on her comrade's remark. Deeming his assessment reasonable, she then takes her place in front of the workstation and begins typing.

"You have a point there, Zell. Okay, since we really don't have much to go on here, I guess it's okay to close this case. Thanks. We're done here for now."

With that utterance, Zell and Selphie silently steps back, then nods to each other subtly before stepping out of the room -- completely unaware that Quistis saw that implicating gesture through the reflection in the monitor screen. Her forehead wrinkles upon a nagging suspicion that, try as she might, she just can't shake in light of the unusual behavior observed from her two friends. Feeling a chill down her spine, Quistis suddenly feels that the joke made by Squall the night before may not be such a laughing matter after all.

"Quisty, that is so stupid!" she exclaims to herself, trying so hard to negate this feeling of suspicion trying to conquer her. A vision of Zell and Selphie takes shape in her mind, a visualization of two of her closest colleagues, beginning to regard each other in more than the friendly way. She then thinks of Irvine. Zell and Irvine... two of the closest friends anyone can see loitering around Garden and making their rounds amongst the others who revere them as some of the best in the academy. He then pictures the same gunslinger, after he learns of a potential annomaly going on within his own circle.

"No..." mutters the instructor. "No one could possibly be as foolish as I am..."

Inadvertently, Quistis pictures Rinoa... with the same rage in her eyes. It was accompanied by a timely churning sensation deep in her stomach. This is the fourth morning that she's had this alarming condition. She picks herself up and takes hold of the phone.

"Hello. Dr. Kadowaki...?"

* * *

"Do you think Quistis is getting an inkling about us?" Selphie worriedly asks. "I mean, did you see how she looked at us in the hallway?"

"Now look who's becoming paranoid." Zell returns, trying to stay her concern. "How would Quistis get an idea when we got back only yesterday? Alright, she's smart. But I don't think she's that smart."

"Oh well..." she sighs, then makes sure that the doorlock is activated. "So... what do we do now?"

"I thought you wanted to talk...?"

"I do but..." Selphie fades, gloomily resting herself by the edge of her bed.

"But what?"

"I... I really don't know what to say."

He looks at her, baffled by the unfamiliar perception. For some reason, Zell suddenly realized just how beautiful his long-time comrade is. How could he have been so blind all this time? 

No, he wasn't blind, Zell concludes. He was just in the place called for at the time. But he can't help wonder why, of all times, is this thing happening just now. Only now... when he had already developed a brotherly bond with Irvine.

"Irvine... some friend you have..." Zell echoes in his mind, followed by a vocal expression of his confused state. "Irvine and I are supposed to be tight..."

"Yeah..." she nods, turning even more somber with the thought.

"Well, at least that part won't be too hard for you, Sef. You and Iris aren't really that close."

"Does it really matter?"

"Uh... no..." he sheepishly retorts.

Selphie looks at Zell with the same guilt reflected in his sullen eyes. Lifting herself up, she walks over to the left side of the bed, toward the bedside table where her lover's framed photograph stands. Her fingers move, wanting to tip the picture over its face... a glaring sign of the ferocious battle raging at this very moment in her battered heart.

"Zell, what are we doing?"

"I don't know... I really don't know..."

"Can we like... just go back to how things were... how we were before we took on that mission?" Her voice is starting to grow heavy under the weight of her dilemma. And he knows very well that weight, that pressure brought upon by both conscience and the tormenting conflict of having to belong to someone else.

"I wish it were that easy, Sef..."

"What are you saying, Zell?" Selphie returns furiously. "That there is absolutely no way out of this predicament? That there's really nothing we can do to stop this insanity?"

"No. I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is if we really want out, it won't be that easy." Zell returns, almost vehement in his rejoinder.

"Then let's make it easy, Zell." she suddenly blurts out. "Let's just do it! Just like that. It shouldn't be that hard right? Our life used to be so simple before this... this thing started and messed the hell out of our heads. If it can happen that easily, maybe we can make it stop that easily too, right?"

He looks at her, almost unbelievingly. She sees his questioning gaze, yet still continues with her outburst.

"It's only been one day and already I feel like I'm going crazy! When I saw you with Iris this morning, I wanted to gouge out her eyes and strangle her with that silly tri-staff of hers. She even kissed you in front of me! I mean, what kind of nerve does that bitch have?"

Zell's eyes squint even more.

"See? Do you see now? Do you hear what I'm saying? This thing is driving me crazy! Like, last night, I really wanted to kill you, I just didn't show it. I mean, how could you do that? We'd just started with us and then you'd up and sleep with her the first chance you got.

"I couldn't sleep last night. I kept thinking about you... about her... about the two of you. I was thinking if you were already asleep, or if you two slept at all. I was so mad last night that I wanted to call Irvine up and ask him to spend the night with me, then let you know that he did. That's what I've been thinking about doing last night."

"Then why didn't you?" Zell calmly asks.

"Because I can't. It wouldn't be fair to him."

"And you think I'm being fair with Iris last night?"

Selphie abruptly pauses, her eyes training on the brash SeeD with a questioning look. She then feels like her heart wants to melt when Zell went on.

"I wasn't. I only did it because I don't want her to see through me. I can't let her know. Not yet."

"Let her know what...?" she asks though she already knows the answer. Selphie just wants to hear it coming from Zell.

"That there's already you."

Selphie's heart completely liquefies.

"... Thanks... I really needed to hear that..."

"You can listen to me say it as much as you want..."

"I'd love that... but... you're not mine..."

Zell's heart sinks. Why is she retreating all of the sudden?

"If... If I really wanted to, I could have done something to get either one of you to leave your room last night. But I didn't because... I don't have the right to do that."

He wants to say that she does, but some force is holding the martial artist back. It's as if he was just prevented from unleashing words that he fears he may have to undo later on. All of the sudden, his head starts aching because of the sharp clashing of two conflicting sentiments. Yet even his dilemma turns up paling compared to Selphie's next utterance.

"Zell... let's just make it easy on ourselves. Let's just cut our losses and stop this thing..."

Stunned by her unexpected remark, Zell feels a surge of rebellion in his heart as his typical brashness begins to set in, owing to Selphie's rather sudden turnabout.

"Stop this, just like that, huh." He shoots back, his ire growing more evident. "After all the speeches and all this 'I'm having a really hard time' talk, you'll just up and bail out, huh."

Feeling his disappointment, Selphie consequently lowers her head. But as much as she wants to come to Zell with a loving word of assurance, she can't seem to bring herself to do it due to this force of indecisiveness gripping her psyche at this very moment.

"It's really that easy for you all of the sudden. Maybe you think after we decide to just forget about this, everything will go away." He furthers irately while snapping his fingers. "Just like that!"

She still didn't answer, prompting the already angry Zell to comply with her apparent wish.

"Alright then... As soon as I walk out of this room and close the door behind me, everything will go back to normal as if nothing happened. As if we were never trapped in that cave or you were never delirious the other night. Nothing... happened. Understood?"

He then turns around and heads for the door. But before he can even touch the doorknob, his arm was again gripped by soft and fragile hands. Zell turns back to Selphie, consequently feeling his anger get doused with an ocean of ice water. Their faces both replete with extreme want, the two enraptured SeeDs give in once more to the merciless command that calls for two to become one again. Their lips once again come together in a furious fusion of heart and soul. And when they part, he sees the tears rolling down from her eyes.

"Don't go... please don't go..."

"Selphie... I thought..."

"I don't want you to go..."

His arms slither around her slender frame, seemingly wanting to engulf her entirety, as her dainty hands crawl over his broad back. They just stood there, savoring the peaceful closeness, basking in the warmth of their beings. Feeling right has never assumed an entirely new meaning until this moment.

"Selphie, I want us to be together... I really do..."

"Zell, let's not think about it. Not now, at least. Let's just enjoy this moment..."

"Yeah, but..."

"Zell..."

"Sefie...?"

"Shut up..."

__

- end of part 8 -


	9. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

****

Part 9

There are some things in life that often scare the living daylights out of different people for no apparent reason at all. Some of these are clinically psychological, like the infamous mental affliction known as phobia. Others are just born of past experiences that left a streak of unpleasant memories too painful to recall and excruciating to relive. Trauma, if it can be called as such.

And then there's the fear of the unknown. The fear of the future, the apprehension of what's to come. More often this kind of fear has disabled people, rendering them helpless and unable to move on, to continue. To venture into unheard of places where it is often said that proverbial angels fear to tread. It is unfortunate, but the nature of people being scared to move to another echelon is quite prevalent. It has often resulted in broken dreams and unrealized visions. It frequently ends up with stagnant lives.

Yet some people do venture. A host of the brave and the bold do dare to advance to the next level. For what reason? Only they know for sure. Only they see the priceless prize just lurking beyond the restricting confines of the current state. Only they have the steeled will to go forth into the unknown, eyes often shut tight as they jump heedlessly and recklessly to the dark void... Hoping that at the end of the tunnel, they will find what they seek. They will have the answer.

The next level... it sounds utterly intimidating. But if people are to insist in staying clear of it, how will they receive answers to their unrelenting questions?

The next level. The subsequent step.

They plunge headlong into it, even though they are bereft of the certainty of a sure answer. Slithering into the unknown, they close their eyes, choosing to be blinded from the constraining concept of the 'safe side'. All they know is they are here... alone... together. Abandoning their fears, they head forth courageously into the brewing tempest. Dispensing all caution, disregarding all norms.

The storm rises to its peak as the mindblowing journey continues. A flurry of colors litter the parallel boundaries, mixed in a stream of intertwining white bolts each curving unto itself until all they see are telltale patches of homogenous lightwaves bordering the narrow expanse of the proverbial warp tunnel. As their collected consciousness advances, so do the blurred images of people and places standing in the lateral outbounds of the speedily moving vessel. They can see the souls, but the souls can't see them.

A phenomenon takes shape. Already staggered in the throes of the raging hurricane, they next become trapped by the force of a bizarre twister jutting down from the malevolent vortex. A storm within a storm, magnificent in form and merciless in purpose. They try to resist, maneuvering their vessel to an evading path. But the maelstrom is too powerful, as it relentlessly hurls them around like lifeless rag dolls trapped in the ravaging nexus of the furious tempest.

It continues to roar, repeatedly unleashing violent heaves and shoves while continuing to draw in the precious heat fueling its ferocity. They brace themselves against the typhoon's final attack, then looks up as the dark clouds open to the clear blue lurking just above it. An updraft blows, powerful and proud. Their containment swings and drops before ultimately rocketing up to the highest pinnacle of the storm's last knell. It then cries out its freedom amidst the caliginous tempest below which now begins to disperse. Finally releasing its claim, the storm dissapates to give way to a gentle cushion of soft winds, tenderly setting the battered vessel down to it's goal.

The next level.

* * *

She doesn't know what to think. Pushing out the last of the stale air in her lungs, Selphie breathes in a batch of refreshingly cool air provided by the airconditioning. She lies quietly, still awash with the relieving exhaustion from that journey they traveled. Feeling an urge to doze off, the Trabian lass fights the heavy sensation starting to set on her eyelids. She then looks to her side.

"What now...?"

Zell gazes at her with equally lazy eyes.

"What now? We sleep."

"Not that, silly!" she blurts out while pounding him with a pillow. "What do we do now that... well, we've crossed the line?"

"Oh that." he chuckles. "Well... I guess there's nothing left but to dance with the music. I mean, we dared to go this far... So what do you think we should do next?"

"Don't throw the question back at me, Zell. Answer it. What now?"

"Umm..." he sinks into a deep pondering. "Uh... you're not thinking that we should just go out and tell the world about us, are you?"

"No, I'm not saying that." Selphie answers. She admits to a certain enticing tendency to do what Zell just voiced out. But at the same time, the Trabian lass also begins to realize that diving headlong into her impulse and dealing with the consequences are two different segments of the same chain. All of the sudden, Selphie starts to feel jittery.

"Don't you even think about doing that, Zell."

"What? Of course I won't, Sef. You think I'm crazy?" Zell stops abruptly after that thoughtless repartee. Confusion starting to set into him, he asks himself why all of the sudden he feels this gnawing shadow of uncertainty deep inside him. Has he suddenly realized that he doesn't care for Selphie as much as he thought he did?

The martial artist stares intently at his teammate. Then concludes: that's not it. On the contrary, he had just come to a realization that he cares for her more than he ever considered possible. As he looks at Selphie, Zell recognizes the resonating cry of his desire to be _the one _for her.

But still, the doubt remains. What could possibly be causing this?

"Why don't we just forget about it for awhile." he consequently suggests. "If you're asking what we should do next and I'm also asking what we should do next, I suppose that means we both don't know the answer. So, can we drop this for now?"

"And what do you recommend, Mr. Dincht?" Selphie returns to her softly. "That we just continue meeting like this until we figure out what to do?"

"You have a better idea?"

"No. Not really." She answers while pulling the heavy blanket up to her neck. "What time is it?"

He glances briefly at his watch. "Quarter past eleven, almost lunchtime. You wanna grab a bite?"

"No..." Selphie echoes lazily. "I am a bit hungry but... no. Wish Rica also does room service, though."

"Yeah, right. And what do you think she'd think if she sees me here with you?"

"You can always hide under the bed." Selphie retorts, her face contorted in a playful smirk. "I think there's enough space there for even Raijin to fit in."

"You serious?" he blurts out. "You really want _moi_ to suffer the indignity of hiding under the bed?"

"Who knows? Maybe you'll need to one of these days." Selphie answers with her persistently playful tone. Zell then squints his eyes at her.

"You're messing with me, aren't you?"

"Yeah." she chirps, sticking her tongue out to him. Just then, the low-set white lights start to flicker. 

"What the hell's wrong with the lights?" Zell wonders.

"Oh, I heard yesterday that they're making some repairs to Garden's power generator. We're actually operating on auxiliary right now."

"Oh, I see. Power generator..." he mumbles, prior to his train of thought unwittingly linking Selphie's input with the discussion the two of them had with Quistis earlier. Selphie takes notice of his sudden silence.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Zell quips back. "I just remembered the meeting we had this morning."

"What about it?"

"I just remembered what Quistis said about Mako element and TSL."

"And..."

Promptly assuming a serious facade, Zell lifts himself up to a sitting position before continuing. "I read in some history book about an underground war that went on between Dollet and Esthar a long time ago. That was the period when Mako element was most widely used. But not for making TSL."

Selphie just looks on at Zell to prompt him to continue.

"It's one of the highlights of that war, when weapons started to become more sophisticated. Royal scientists from the old kingdom of Dollet have allegedly discovered a way to condense Mako element into a simpler substance that, when detonated, can cause a great deal of damage even with very little amount in use. But then, they had to discontinue its use because of the problem of storage. The substance is even more volatile than natural Mako, and a lot of radiation leaks were caused by it. But even if the manufacture of the bomb stopped, the concept survived."

The martial artist pauses briefly, as if trying to recall something. "But I kinda forgot the name of that substance. What was that? I think it starts with G...."

"Gyro War?" Selphie interrupts.

"Yeah... Yeah, that's right? How'd you know that?"

"You're not the only wide reader around here, Zell."

"Cool!" Zell quips. Inadvertently visualizing the word, the SeeD starts to feel an ominous coldness in his blood due to a sudden recollection. 

"Holy crap!"

"What's wrong?"

His heart racing, Zell frantically turns to Selphie with an almost panicky request.

"Sef, do you have a paper and a pen?"

"Sure..." she returns before leaning down to the drawer beneath the bedside table. Pulling out a small pad with an Aletta platinum pen fastened at the seam, Selphie quickly comes back to hand them over to Zell. Still gripped by alarm, the martial artist jots down the word 'Gyro War' on the paper, then turns it upside down.

"Shit... shit!"

"What the hell's wrong, Zell?" a now similarly alarmed Selphie asks. She gets her answer in the form of Zell brandishing the upside down pad in front of her.

"Recognize this, Sefie?"

"Ohmigosh..." Selphie snaps. "That's the mark we saw on those crates under the VY-1's cargo bay back in the terrorist base!"

"That's right. Those dumbasses were making Gyro War bombs! And I'll bet a year's pay that there's one already loaded in the VY-1 when we took it back to Esthar. Get dressed, Sefie! We have to warn the others!"

* * *

"Say that again, Quistis?"

"I said, Zell told me to tell you that a bomb might be planted in the VY-1 bomber they recovered yesterday." Quistis' voice crackles back from Squall's SeeD communicator. "Where are you?"

"I'm with Irvine and Rinoa. We had just come back from lunch." Squall returns to his deputy. "Are you sure, Quistis? We need to get back to the summit in ten minutes, and we can't waste our time in some wild goose chase."

"Zell sounded pretty sure, Squall." Quistis retorts. "Anyway, I recommend that you check it out. It may be a long shot, but we just can't ignore a potential threat like this."

"Okay. By the way, where's Zell?"

"He just left with Selphie, said they're gonna check on something. This one's your baby, Squall."

"Copy that. We're on our way." Squall then turns his attention to his two comrades. "Rinoa, Irvine, we have to go to the underground hangar on the double."

Ten minutes later, three SeeDs are seen dismounting from a hovercar near a structure called Tears Point, somewhere south of the Great Plains of Esthar. Checking the ammunition load of his gunblade, Squall turns to Rinoa with a nod.

"He's junctioned. Don't worry about encountering any monster from this point." the sorceress assuages her knight.

Not long after, the three youthful warriors, accompanied by a squad of Esthar military's explosives detachment, are already traversing a long corridor leading to the main access tunnel to the underground hangar. Irvine surveys the surroundings, then turns on the pocket phone Kiros Seagull had earlier provided him with.

"This place looks like a maze, Kiros. What are we looking for here?"

"The hangar is divided into four sections. The one that you need to locate is situated in sector RF1, the Hazardous Payload sector. Hurry up. If that bomb is exactly as Zell described it, you may not have much time left."

"What do you mean, Kiros?" Irvine quizzically snaps back. Unfortunately, the depth of the underground facility coupled with the surrounding electronics begins to interfere with the microwave signal. "Kiros? Kiros?!? Are you still there?... ... Damn, lost the signal."

"Nevermind that. Where do we go from here?" Squall intermits.

"Hangar Sector RF1."

"There!" Rinoa suddenly exclaims upon making out the illuminated marking on one of the heavy doors. "RF1. That's what we're looking for, right?"

As they walk into the vast room, Rinoa gasps upon seeing a score of immobile bodies of the on-duty technicians littering the cold hangar floor. Strutting closer to one, Squall checks its vitals, shaking his head in the process.

"They're still alive, but barely." 

The explosives squad commander, Major Therren Foole examines the victim's eyes. "Oh man. This is radiation poisoning! That means the bomb is already leaking radiation out! Everyone, get out of the room now and lock me inside!"

"But why?" Rinoa shoots back. "If the bomb is leaking radiation, you're gonna need our help to disarm it."

"You don't understand. This is the Hazardous Payloads sector. It probably has a sensor system designed to detect traces of leaking radiation. And if it does, the safety system will trigger a containment procedure that will isolate this place from the rest of the facility. You guys won't be able to get out!"

"He's right, Rinoa." Irvine agrees with the Major. "We're only going to get in his way. Let's get out of here."

Just then, floating radioactive traces begin to reach the first of a series of sensors attached to the main doorway's frame. Consequently, a loud alarm starts blaring to the surprise of the group.

"GET OUT, NOW!!!"

But it was too late, as heavy, two-yard thick metal slabs that weigh over 20 tons each start dropping along the four walls of the hangar. At the same time, the ceiling becomes covered with metal slabs of the same dimension, completely encasing the chamber in an impenetrable shell and trapping everyone inside.

"Oh Shit!!!" Major Foole yells out. "I told you to get out! There's no way for you guys to escape now."

Trying to hide his fear, Squall turns a headstrong facade to the Estharian squad leader. "Never mind that. We have a job to do, so let's just do it and make sure that bomb never goes off." He then turns to an evidently frightened Rinoa. She looks pale, very pale.

Squall then realizes that the pasty hue of Rinoa's face is not caused by fear.

"I feel... sick..." she starts, subsequently collapsing to the floor. Rinoa was then followed by Irvine, prior to the explosive squad members falling down the embankment one by one. Gripped by horrid alarm, Squall tries to run to Rinoa's aid. But the hot sensation likewise has begun to afflict the SeeD commander. Struggling hard to stay conscious, he manages to reach for his SeeD communicator before ultimately succumbing to the toxic influx.

__

- end of part 9 -


	10. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

****

Part 10

Xu sits quietly, her face bereft of expression as she watches Iris deliver a lecture on strategic positioning to a class of newly inducted Dollet army sergeants. She tries not to show it, but the veteran SeeD is admittedly impressed at the clarity and conciseness of the pigtailed girl's discussion of enemy flanking. She thinks to herself, Iris may just have what it takes to be an instructor. Why is she wasting her time with the Library Committee?

Feeling a slight bite in her stomach, Xu reaches into her bag for a cheesecake bar. Just then, her SeeD communicator starts beeping frantically. The noise is shrill, narrowly spaced, and is accompanied by a red light engulfing the entirety of the miniature device's seed-shaped face.

Xu's heart begins to race. Ever since the Priority Red distress mode was installed in the standard issue communicators, this is the first time that it actually blared into action. And it can only mean one thing: a SeeD is directly threatened with mortal danger. She looks at Iris, who by then already has the same alarmed expression in her face.

Meanwhile, the same thing has been happening around the world. In Timber, while verifying reports of stray Anacondaurs, Marcus Derlini suddenly leaves behind an officer of the Timber Wildlife Association when his communicator started sounding in the same manner. In Winhill, where SeeDs Casey Auerbach and Tifa Morrigan are assigned to stand guard in the Governor's Mansion, the same urgent signal makes the pair abandon their post to head for the nearest SeeD server terminal. In Deling City, rookie SeeD Trinity Hessloff who is currently off-duty, abruptly leaves the cashier, leaving behind the Jin Kazama signature leather trenchcoat she had just purchased.

Back in Balamb Garden, a frenzied Quistis Trepe confers with Kiros through the UHF radio regarding the emergency situation.

"What do you mean trapped inside? Can't you find any way to open the emergency door?"

"Everything is locked tight, Quistis." Kiros screeches back. "It's a safety feature. The isolator system will not deactivate until the last trace of radiation is siphoned out from the sector. But the problem is the rad siphoning array may take too long to do the job. And the reason why they got trapped is the alarm system had a glitch that brought down the steel walls even before Squall and others made it out. They were supposed to have at least half a minute before the isolator system kicked in."

"So what are you saying? That they could be dead before the radiation clears out? That's unacceptable, Kiros. We have to get in there one way or another."

"Of course." Kiros shoots back. "You don't think Laguna will just let everything come down without doing anything, do you?"

Feeling exhausted, the concerned instructor massages the bridge of her nose before coming back. "I'm sorry for my attitude, Kiros. I'm just worried about them. Anyway, can you hold for a minute?"

"Sure thing, Quistis. I'm not going anywhere."

Turning to her SeeD communicator, Quistis switches the device to Transmit All mode before speaking. "Everyone, listen up. There's very little time so I guess it'd be useless for all of us to come rushing to Esthar. So everybody stay put except for those who are already in the vicinity."

"Instructor, come in." a voice suddenly reverberates from the communicator, mildly startling Quistis.

"Who is this?"

"Nida."

"Nida, thank goodness...!" Quistis echoes in her mind before continuing. "Nida, what's your twenty?"

"I'm here in Esthar City's downtown district." Nida retorts. "And since it looks like I'm the only other SeeD in the vicinity, I suppose this is a job for me now."

Quistis' dallies, deliberating whether to allow Nida to take on that potentially dangerous situation all by himself. 

But the wise instructor likewise knows that they have no other choice. She emphasizes this in her mind while coming back with her response.

"Ten-four, Nida. The sit-rep is recorded in your communicator. Access it then head for Tears Point immediately."

"Roger that, Quistis." Nida curtly acknowledges. "But if you can, please send me back up. I really don't feel too good about this situation."

* * *

There's only about 50 miles of seawater separating them from the bustling port of Dollet Dukedom, according to the proximity gauge reading that Zell checks every few minutes. He knows that Selphie is aware of this. And much as he hates it, he also knows of her silent wish to turn the amphibian personnel carrier back.

Kicking the engine to level 10 overdrive, Zell subsequently recalls the scene that transpired just over an hour ago. Making possible a thirty-minute trip from Garden to Balamb town via a highspeed hovercar, the two of them made a quick trip to the town's Public Census office to use its extensive database in searching for a clue that he feels will unravel the subtle mystery surrounding the current crisis. They have just completed their inquiry when the Priority Red alert started sounding.

He looks at Selphie, and notes her serious demeanor. The Trabian lass must have sensed him looking at her because she returned the gaze with a smile. He feels a drop in his stomach; he knows that to some degree, that smile is somewhat forced. Not holding back his thoughts, Zell utters words that effectively changed her expression.

"They'll be fine. I'm certain of it."

Why didn't he just say 'He'? Zell knows quite well that Selphie is worried about Irvine above everyone else who are involved in that mishap. He tries to shake off the depressing realization and subsequently focuses on their destination.

* * *

"What's the situation here?"

Kiros turns to the newly arrived Nida and begins to explain the current state.

"We've been trying to do everything we can to open the emergency door to section RF1. But I'm afraid we're not making any headway. The engineers who designed the isolator system did too good of a job."

Pondering intently, the raven-locked SeeD surveys the extent of the challenge before him, then issues a subsequent request.

"Clear the area and let me handle this."

"Are you sure? Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Kiros returns with concern.

"I don't mean to sound condescending, Kiros. But these people with you are engineers, not soldiers."

"Well excuse me." Kiros bellows with a slightly arrogant tone. "I used to be a soldier myself, just in case you don't know." Nida gawks at him with a somewhat baffled look, especially when Kiros turned to the other technicians to issue them a rather unexpected order.

"Leave us and call for some troops. And inform Laguna about the situation here." The technicians complied, running off to the elevator and leaving Kiros and Nida behind. Turning back to the SeeD, the former Galbadian soldier smirks in anticipation of the coming struggle.

"Well, this should be interesting. What do we do next?"

"We take this door down, that's what." Nida retorts. "Hey, are you sure you're up to this? I mean, no offense but you do look like your at least 40 years old."

"Young uns'..." Kiros quips back. "Do you always have to equate everything with age?"

"Ah, never mind that. Here..." says the SeeD before meditating briefly to transfer one of his two junctioned servitor spirits to the presidential advisor. "You do know how to use GFs, right?"

"Been quite a while since the faeries invaded my head," Kiros chuckles. "... but it's just like riding a Chocobo. You never really forget."

"Good. Let's do this, then!"

Two staggering Meltdown bolts blast out from the pair, bombarding the two-yard thick obstacle with debilitating non-elemental magic that effectively changed its shade from dark gray to bright blue. Nida was just about to strike on the metal plate with his katana when another deafening siren starts to blare.

"Arrggghhhh! Friggin' noise, hurts in the ears!" the SeeD hollers. A short distance behind him, similar metal slabs start falling into place, effectively blocking the corridors leading to the elevator and likewise trapping the two of them inside the dimly lit hallway. "Holy crap, what's happening now?!?"

"Nida! Nida! Can you hear me?" Quistis' voice tears through the din. Though his head is hurting from the loud, screeching noise, Nida tries nevertheless to respond to the instructor's hail.

"Quistis, we're a little busy right now!"

"Nida, what's that noise?"

"How will I know? All I know is we were trying to break the door open when this alarm started!"

"My fault!" Kiros interrupts. "I totally forgot about the intruder alarm! We set it off with that magic attack on the door! We're about to have some really nasty company!"

As if taking his warning as a cue, two menacing security droids suddenly emerge from a portal hidden at the end of the corridor. Sizzling pulse laser cannons whirl from their backs before mounting on their shoulders, as the droids start their way to face the two figures reeling from the earsplitting siren. Not wasting any time, the mechanized sentinels begin to fire pulses of burning light toward their direction.

"Damn!" Nida blurts out while jumping clear of the barrage. "This is not good! Quistis, we need help right now!" 

As he falls to the floor, Nida catches sight of Kiros pulling off his obstructive Estharian traditional gown, revealing the familiar form clad in his old battle attire. Though still lanky, it's obvious that Kiros has gained a few extra pounds from the lack of action. But it didn't deter him from confidently unveiling his razor sharp Katal blades.

"Hhh! Never thought I'd find the need to use these again!"

Kiros attacks. But close to twenty years of absence from the warpath doesn't exactly make for a well-conditioned combatant. Not being able to call forth the blinding speed that used to be second nature to him, the former Galbadian soldier was stunned with a repelling strike from the droid's metal arm. He recoils from the blow before assuming his battle stance.

"This is not going to be easy." he mutters.

* * *

He checks to see if there's another pending item in his itinerary. Relieved to see nothing listed after the luncheon meeting that has just concluded, Ulyard Earl Kipman leisurely stretches his legs over his elegant glass desk. Whistling with pleasure, he begins to look forward on the one event he has been anticipating for the last week. It won't be long now before he fulfills his goal of glory. 

Then frantic knocks reverberate from his door. Barging in frenziedly, the diminutive secretary alights with two SeeDs right behind her.

"I'm sorry, sir. They demanded to be let it. I couldn't stop them."

The shrewd executive raises his left eyebrow upon setting eyes to Zell and Selphie. Waving his secretary off, Kipman straightens his spiffy business suit before facing the two Balamb mercenaries.

"Ahh, my youthful face-savers. This is quite a surprise. What can I do for you two?"

With a stoic face, Zell comes back to Kipman with a curt question. "End of the line, Mr. Kipman"

"Excuse me?" the executive replies, somewhat puzzled. "I don't think I understand you."

"Well understand this." Selphie joins in. "You planned for all of this to happen. From the VY-1 being stolen by terrorists to hiring SeeDs to recover it, and making sure that the recovery operation gets done successfully."

"My dear lass, I don't have an inkling of your accusation. Now if you please, I am a very busy man. You can either step out of my office of your own accord or I can call security to have you escorted out."

Deeming it useless to confront the man with mere accusations, Zell opts instead to land the bombshell.

"Last week you filed a request for Balamb Garden to send in SeeDs to retrieve your VY-1 prototype bomber from a group of terrorists. Now this should be no problem except for the fact that the terrorists knew that we were coming. That shouldn't be a big deal either. But how the hell did they know that we were SeeDs?

"So we accomplished the mission, took the bomber to Esthar as YOU requested, and went home after learning that the terrorist base was destroyed by an explosion. What caused it? We didn't know at the moment but it was pretty logical to blame it to your bumbling 'terrorists'."

Kipman starts to fiddle with his coat's side pocket, which Zell takes note of while continuing.

"Post-case investigation revealed that aside from the destruction of their base being too systematic to be attributed to an accident, the terrorists have also been storing Mako element in that base. Maybe they were just using it to produce TSL for providing power to their headquarters. But... what is a dozen crates of Gyro War doing in that base? Perhaps they need it to further their activities? Nooooo!"

As the SeeDs expected, Kipman's face starts to assume a dark hue.

"The process of converting Mako element to Gyro War bombs is a lost art, last practiced by the old Dollet warlords during the last Incognito Wars. So I ask myself, who could possibly know how to do it now? What we did is we checked census records, hoping to find the answer. And guess what."

A heavy stillness permeates through the room.

"The most vocal proponent of the use of Gyro War was Overlord Vader K. Wullrof. Vader... Kipman... Wullrof. And you, Ulyard Kipman, is his last surviving descendant. And I guess the only question remaining now is: what's in it for you?"

"You have nothing on me." Kipman blurts out, his face already contorted in a cornered scowl.

"Really?" Selphie says, taking her turn in the revelation. "Hmm, I wonder if you can still pretend to be innocent after the Dollet police finishes shaking up that man they caught this morning for making those calls to Governor Markkon."

"W... What?"

"Governor Markkon went to a charity convention in Trabia Garden two weeks ago. Ever since coming back, he had been receiving death threats. Is it because of something he saw in Trabia while he was there, something that he wasn't suppose to see? Then it later turns out you couldn't do anything about it anymore because he hired SeeDs to protect himself. So you probably thought, why not hire SeeDs yourself to arrange an assassination attempt in the form of a bomb that can create an underground chain reaction strong enough to hit Esthar City?"

Selphie pauses, her face turning dark with indignation. "You evil, evil man. You're willing to murder millions of innocent lives just to get to your objective?"

Just then, the intercom on Kipman's desk starts beeping, followed by the shaking voice of his secretery. "Uhh... Mr. Kipman? There are some police officers here to see you. Should I... let them in?"

His hands trembling, the now evidently guilty executive presses the 'off' button of his intercom. He lowers his head, unsure of what to say after the grim discovery of his vile scheme. But after a few moments, Zell and Selphie were taken aback when Kipman looked up to them with a dark grin.

"I made Kramer make sure that he assigns his best men for this job." he begins with a raspy tone that would have been familiar to the pair had they managed to spy on the terrorists' monitor room. "Perhaps... he did hire the most competent ones. Too competent for their own good."

"Keep your hands where we can see them!" Zell hollers when the baneful schemer reaches for his coat pocket. But it was too late as Kipman had managed to pull out a small device resembling a remote control box.

"Do you see this?" he growls. "This is a long range transmitter. It works pretty much like your SeeD communicators, able to send narrow-band signals across great distances, even to the other side of the planet. And one itty-bitty pressure on this red button and you can kiss Esthar goodbye. Not Esthar City. I'm talking about the entire width of central Esthar continent itself."

They didn't know what to do next. Their smug facades instantly disappearing, Zell and Selphie suddenly come to a realization that one false move they make can and will mean the end for the lives of their friends. Squall, Irvine, Rinoa, Laguna, as well as the entire Esthar populace; all face the immediate threat of instant extinction. And it all depends now on what they will do in the next pressure-laden moments.

"You're actually wrong about one thing, though. Yes, I did plot on assassinating Markkon after he discovered the supposedly clandestine shipments of Mako element, bungled by that incompetent Motumba. And yes, I wasn't able to carry it out because of his arrogant SeeD escorts. But... do you think I would go through all this trouble only to assassinate your precious governor at this point? NO! 

"My ancestors believed in the glory that was Dollet's back in the old days before that insufferable pretender Esthar usurped us of our rightful inheritance. And what do we have left for us? Relegated to a mere dukedom, with nary a force strong enough to resist even the measly Galbadian army. In the olden days, we could have easily wiped the continent clean with their faces. But now... what's left? Nothing!"

"And... you're doing this to reclaim something that was lost a long time ago? Something that is hardly remembered at all?" Selphie questioningly snaps back.

"I remember it quite well, that's all that matters." Kipman scornfully remarks. "And in retrospect, it was going quite well, if I might add. I would have waited for the summit to end, with everyone paying an audience to all the delegates who participated in that lavish ceremony scheduled for tomorrow at Tears Point. But you arrogant youths had to figure out my plans. What do you think you accomplished except prompt me to carry everything out a day earlier? You think you had me foiled after all the years I spent establishing my relations with those self-aggrandizing Estharian generals just to get this far?"

"You son of a..."

"Go ahead, young lad." Kipman cuts into Zell, his evil smirk growing wider while his fingers hover dangerously close to the red button. "You think you can take me? Go ahead! But know this. You may have found me out and uncovered my plans. But I am NOT going down alone!"

__

- end of Part 10 -


	11. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

****

Part 11 

Knees hurt...

Friggin' knees hurt!

He now regrets his neglectful attitude. Yes, they may have been successfully in duping the fearful Sorceress Adel into a trap that made possible a feat that most thought as impossible eighteen years ago. The tyrannical sorceress has been deposed, stripped of her sovereign seat and sent into an isolated exile amongst the stars, whence she escaped after seventeen years only to be destroyed in the hands of a group of youthful warriors bound for destiny.

The same warriors they labor so much to rescue at this very moment. Clutching his tormented knees, Kiros expends a second to regret his decision of not staying in shape under the false notion that his years of fighting have finally come to an end. He has never felt so worn down in his entire life. And it had to come at a time when he needs to desperately fight for the life of his best friend's son, among others. Now, Kiros finds himself fighting for his own life as well.

"KIROS, WATCH OUT!!!" a desperate holler thunders, followed by a loud clashing sound as Nida's katana blocks a deadly swing of a security droid intent on impaling the aging combatant with its dreadful sickle. Rolling himself to safety, Kiros watches as the droid turns to the embattled SeeD.

"Flare!" Nida shouts to call forth a powerful non-elemental solar attack, knocking the mechanized menace back to buy him precious seconds to regroup with his fallen partner. But as they gather themselves, the other droid starts to approach with pulses of destructive laser fire that hit the pair squarely. Only their Protect spells preserved Kiros and Nida from certain doom.

"I'm hurt bad..." Nida coughs out. "I don't know how long we can keep this up."

But Kiros seems to have ignored the SeeD's tormented wail. Glaring with furious eyes on the automaton, his vision suddenly blurs, with hues transforming from its natural state almost instantly into a gushing blood red shade.

"I've had enough of this!"

All of the sudden, the middle-aged warrior glows with ferocious radiance, the pain of his injuries combining with his rage to launch him into a violent and almost mindless assault. A flurry of cutting swings and stabbing lunges pummel the helpless droid with so much impunity that, by the time it was over, the enemy was instantly reduced to sparking scrap metal.

But Kiros was likewise weakened greatly by the desperation attack. Gasping hard for air, he looks up helplessly as the other droid prepares to plunge its razor-sharp scythe into his frail body. But then, deafening rapid-fire blasts reverberate and was followed by unrelenting slug strikes that perforated the body of the automaton. As it falls down to the steel floor, the two combatants turn around to the sight of a squad of brightly garbed super soldiers.

"Cyborg troops..." Kiros bellows in relief. "Thank goodness!" He then turns to the two figures leading their rescuers.

"Laguna, Ward, nice timing. Thanks, guys!"

"You look surprised, Kiros. Did you really think I'd let some bucket of bolts get one over my best friend?"

"President Loire, thanks!" Nida follows while shaking Laguna's hand.

"How did you manage to open the steel gates, Laguna?" Kiros asks.

"........" Ward gestures, then turns to the isolated hangar.

"What did he say?" the SeeD confusedly echoes.

"He said let's talk about that later. We still have a job to do." Laguna explains before turning to the cyborg squad.

"Stand back, all of you. We're going to try and use mining lasers to break this door open."

On his signal, the silent cyborgs fires a staggering barrage in an effort to destroy the seemingly invincible slab. The amount of energy they unleashed was tremendous; it would have been enough to light up a small town for a whole week. Close to a minute of time elapsed before the wailing laser bombardment ceases to allow them to see their progress.

"Dammit!" a frustrated Nida blurts out. "Even under Vit 0, it still won't budge! What do we do now?"

"Keep trying." Laguna grimly orders. "My son is inside that hellhole."

* * *

Zell has never felt helpless in his whole life. Here he is right now, so young yet renowned as one of the vaunted warriors who have nearly achieved mythical status through their fabulous exploits as Balamb Garden's foremost SeeDs. He has been training to be the finest hand-to-hand combatant since he was four years old. And as such, he can take on even an entire platoon of soldiers if he needs to.

And yet, he is helpless in front of a man who knew nothing in life but to sit behind his corporate post or at the head of a board meeting. A man who knows little, if any, of actual combat; a man who can't identify the difference between a flanking position and a flank of corned beef even if he tries. And yet, even when paired with his equally competent teammate Selphie, Zell stands before this man, helpless as a dead Red Bat.

"So who holds all the aces now?" Kipman sneers at the two SeeDs. "Who's got who beat? You can't even lift a finger to stop me." His thumb continues to float ever so closely over the button that possesses the power to send half a continent to the bottom of the ocean.

"Don't do it, Kipman..." the martial artist mutters steadily as if wary of startling the miscreant. "You really don't want to murder millions, do you?"

"No..." the grinning villain retorts. "Not really. But you have to understand, we are at war. And in a war, civilian casualties can never be avoided."

"We're not at war, Mr. Kipman!" Selphie exclaims vehemently. "You're delusional! Why would you want to carry on a conflict that has already been resolved a long time ago?"

"Why? You're asking me why? Let me tell you why, my pretty mercenary. Because of the primal reason why all of us do things without a single thought of who we might be running over. Because WE CAN!"

Zell grits his teeth. "You're one messed up dude, you know that?"

"Messed up? You should have told that to your precious ally, Laguna Loire. Esthar should never have chosen to lift the veil of isolation they've maintained over the years. If they had only stayed out of the picture, my efforts would have just been geared to secretly undermine Galbadia's sovereignty. That way, I wouldn't have to hurt your precious innocents. But no, he had to force my hand by coming into the open. He had to compel me to use his own resources that I've been amassing over these years to hurt him. And I will hurt him, and bring back the glory days of Dollet at the same time. Two birds with one stone."

"You mean, you've been plotting on world domination all this time?" Selphie quizzically returns.

"I was! But thanks to you, all I'm capable of doing now is fulfilling the goal my ancestors have set upon themselves to reach: destroy Esthar with one swift blow! And there's nothing you can do to stop me!!!"

"NOOOO!!!!!"

A loud crash suddenly resonates as the door comes bursting out to reveal the intruding pair of Xu and Iris. Acting with undivided resolve, the veteran SeeD repeatedly flicks her wrists to hurl a rain of shurikens toward Ulyard Kipman. Totally caught off-guard, the startled schemer was taken aback by sharp pain as a half-dozen throw blades plunge deep into his arms and shoulders. Completely surprised by the abrupt turn of events, Zell and Selphie could do nothing as they watch the pigtailed girl hurl one end of her tri-staff toward Kipman, hitting his right forearm in an oblique angle to knock the device off his hand.

"The transmitter!!!" Zell hollers. He didn't wait for anyone to react, deciding to take it upon himself as he dives headlong to the floor in an effort to prevent an impact that might jar the device to a detonation. Selphie, Iris and Xu look on in horror as the martial artist overshoots the falling transmitter, which bounced off his right arm before landing on the carpeted floor.

Frantically checking the condition of the device, Selphie's complexion turns pasty white upon looking at its LCD screen, which by now is displaying a series of numbers. The numbers are decrementing by the millisecond.

"My God, what have we done?" Iris fearfully blurts out. "We've just activated the bomb's timer!"

* * *

"More power! More! Set your blasters to maximum!!!"

Kiros looks on at Laguna, correctly surmising that his best friend has definitely lost the composure that has been inherent of him since the three of them met. As the president of the country they preserved from a sorceress' despotic rule prods the half-human, half-machine soldiers to give everything they have in bringing down the 20 ton metal doors, the presidential adviser and loyal confidante scowls in sympathy. Who can blame Laguna? The life of his one and only son hangs in the balance.

The sound of groaning steel starts to emanate in the midst of the shrill laser fire, giving fresh hope to the beleaguered sovereign.

"Alright, it's giving! Don't let up!"

Ward reflects the worried expression on Kiros' face as they look at each other. How much time to they have before radiation poisoning finally lays full siege on the people trapped inside?

"Nida, come in!"

"Nida here." he replies to Quistis' hail through his communicator. "Have anything good for us?"

A static groan emanates from the diminutive device. "On the contrary, I have some rather bad news. Zell and Selphie found the mastermind behind all this. In trying to apprehend him, the timer control of the bomb was accidentally activated. You now have a time bomb there, and the clock is ticking."

"What???" Nida hollers while giving that how-could-things-be-worse expression. "How much time do we have?"

"Less than five minutes..."

"Oh perfect!" The SeeD then breaks the bad news to Laguna. "We have to hurry. Quistis informed me that the bomb's timer has been activated. We have less than five minutes before all of this blows up."

Laguna's face hardens to a desperate grimace. They've been attacking those doors with everything they've got for the last half hour, with merely a small dent against its thick metal hide as the only thing thet can show for their efforts. Now, the clock is counting down. There's no way they can break through in time before everything within a one hundred mile radius gets instantly atomized.

But he's son is inside, helpless and unconscious. Most likely dying from the radioactive leak that sealed everything in a tight and unbreakable prison. Would he just give up on his son now?

He once again turns to the cyborg troops. "Continue attacking."

"Laguna... it's pointless." Kiros comes forward. "We have to get you out of here now."

"No. You, Ward and Nida, get out of here while you still can. I'm not leaving without them."

"But Laguna..."

"I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT MY SON!!!"

Somehow, Kiros wasn't even half surprised. "Okay then. We're staying here with you."

A sharp contrast prevails at the other side of the stubborn steel barrier. With the silence being maintained by the thickness of the heavy shieldings, the only sound evident is the faint echos of regularly spaced tickings coming from the Gyro War detonator mechanism hidden underneath the VY-1 bomber's hull. The bodies of the denizen littering the floor seem so peaceful in their unconsciousness, bearing no awareness whatsoever of the blinding doom fast approaching. And with the party of rescuers outside effectively denied from gaining access, it does seem like the end of the line for Squall, Rinoa and Irvine.

A minute elapses, the stillness remains. But for every fraction of a second afterwards, telltale signs of movement begin to manifest from the figure garbed in heavenly blue. Fingers ringed with a shiny, silver bands twitch, one after the other. Elbows begin to bend, followed ultimately by the slightest undulation of raven-colored hair as Rinoa painfully comes back to the land of the living.

Her sight spins like a proverbial top, coupled by the crippling heat overwhelming her whole body. But still, she tries to get up even though the slightest vertical movement of her pale head causes her stomach to churn with devilish nausea. At one point, a viscous mass shoots up from inside her and spews out of her mouth, bringing forth new experiences in pain and torment. With legs wobbling and shaking, the obstinate SeeD struggles with all her might to bring herself up on her feet. Rinoa then labors to bellow a life-saving phrase.

"Ange..." she begins, as if feeling another vomiting spell. Still, she persists. "Angel... W..."

Rinoa then musters all her strength in one mighty whisper.

"Angel Wing...!"

And as countless times before, magnificent wings of spiritual origin unfolds from her back, bathing the surroundings with gloriously white brilliance. Rinoa lifts up, and up, as the manifestation of the sorceress embodiment once again unveils in indescribable glory.

With renewed strength, the young sorceress begins to concentrate while focusing her attention toward the steel door. Her eyes assume the piercing gaze of one who is eternal; her mind begins to call forth energies from beyond time.

Rinoa looks at the door, as if trying to physically penetrate through its wide dimension using only the dagger in her sight. As her concentration intensifies, small beads of scarlet liquid start to trickle down her temple. But still, the door won't give in. She concentrates even more, this time focusing all her mental faculties in one telepathic heave. The blood stops trickling from her temples, and starts gushing from her nose and ears. The pain is now unbearable, excruciating. Yet she perseveres.

The twenty ton steel door explodes with the fury of a thousand defeated essences, startling the ones who stand outside. They caught a brief glimpse of Rinoa before she once again collapses down to the floor. 

Not wasting any time, Laguna immediately orders the quick evacuation of the casualties as he himself hoists Squall's limp body over his shoulders. "Hurry, get everyone out of here, on the double!"

"Quistis, I'm already by the VY-1. Now where's the bomb?" Nida calls out to the instructor.

"I... I don't know. Zell, Selphie, where's the bomb?"

At the other side of the world, four frantic SeeDs listen in to Quistis' adamant question. Selphie and Zell convened with each other briefly before coming back with a reply.

"We're not sure, Quisty. All we remember is there's nothing inside the bomber, so the bomb must be somewhere in theexterior of the ship." the Trabian lass speedily retorts.

Listening in, Nida consequently runs his fingers along the VY-1's underside, stopping abruptly upon feeling a distinct lump near the front. Using his katana, the SeeD pries open a small portal to reveal a spherical casing connected to a digital timer. It reads 2:21.

"We have very little time, guys and gals." Nida begins anew. "Now what do I do with this?"

Being the explosives expert, Iris Deen decides to take over the task of instructing Nida. "Nida, tell me what you see, in detail."

"There's a round casing here connected to a timer detonator by a single white, exposed wire. It's very simple, but it also looks incredibly unstable."

"Round?" Iris comes back? "Are you sure it's perfectly round?"

"Hold on..." Nida interrupts while examining the sphere more closely. "Um... it's got twelve flat sides surrounding something inside. A Dodecahedron. And each face has a thin filament at the center running out to converge into the white wire."

Iris shortly pauses to think. "Dodecahedron... filaments... single wire... bloody fusion configuration!"

"What do I do with this?!?" Nida frenziedly hollers when he saw the display showing a time of 1:19.

"Calm down. Okay, here's what you should do. Slowly, very slowly, turn the round casing around. All the way around."

"Copy..." Nida acknowledges, trying his best to keep his hands from shaking as they begin to rotate the spherical object. His sweat is already falling in huge beads, with his left eye blinking like mad when a drop of sweat was absorbed into it. "Okay, done. What's next?"

"What's next... what's next..." Iris frenetically ponders, the pressure of the moment rendering her unable to remember the next step.

"Fifty seconds! Come on!!!"

"Okay, okay! There has to be a small, sliced up cylinder at the other side. Open in and tell me what you see!"

"Uhh... uhh..." Nida stammers. "I see fifteen... no, sixteen very small switches. They are either colored red, green or blue, and they're set at different directions."

"Listen carefully. For all the blue switches occupying even positions, turn them to the other side. All green switches in the even position, do the same thing. But if there's a red switch to the right of either a green or a blue, don't touch the green or blue switches, then turn the red to the opposite."

"What?" a puzzled Nida shoots back.

"Just do it!!!"

"Okay! Even blue, turn... even green, turn... red, no turn... come on! Come on!!!" He glances briefly to the timer: 0:37. Working with trembling fingers, the embattled SeeD cusses unrelentingly while nervously flicking the switches according to what he thinks he remembers. Until finally, the switch panel abruptly glows with a yellow shine.

"Iris, I seem to have correctly switched them all, but the timer is still running!"

"RUN!!!"

"What? What about the..."

"I don't have time to explain. Just run!!!"

Nida quickly scampers toward the exit with the image of a timer bearing 0:06 lingering in his mind. He had barely gotten past the pulverized door when a strong shockwave sends him crashing against the opposite side of the corridor.

__

- to be concluded -


	12. Default Chapter Title

****

Tour de Force

by Soul Hunter

****

Part 12 (Conclusion)

In all his eighteen years, Nida never really thought about dying. He's too young to die, he always tells himself. He still has a lot of things he wishes to accomplish... dreams he wants fulfilled. Being a SeeD is only a stepping stone, a pathway, a means to an end. Someday, he will be a somebody. Maybe a renowned army general, a successful enterprenuer, or even Balamb Garden's next Headmaster.

He can't die yet. He's still young. He can still be all that he can be.

Nida opens his eyes, and all he sees is white. Is he dead? Has he reached the final destination of those who have finally bid farewell to life on the solid earth? Has he finally called it in?

Where is that smell of burnt rubber coming from?

"Nida. Nida! Can you here me?" a garbled voice pierces through his coated hearing. He tries to get a handle of what's happening around him. Everything's still, silent as a graveyard. The white is still there... but it's beginning to disperse, giving way to the sight of a vertical sludge that used to be a metal wall. He recognizes the surroundings upon setting his eyes on the familiar corridor now beginning to fill with people wearing either white lab gowns or pink radiation suits. He asks himself in awe: "I'm still alive?"

"Nida, if you can hear me, come in please!" He then makes out the voice as one owned by Balamb Garden's most popular figure, Quistis Trepe. Slowly lifting himself up, Nida struggles amidst the throbbing pain in his back and head, then labors to respond to the instructor.

"Yeah... loud and clear..."

"YES!!!" Xu hollers upon hearing Nida's voice through her SeeD communicator. "He made it! Yes!!!" And her reaction was merely a shadow of the jubilation now taking grip of the four SeeDs who were previously holding their breaths in anxiety while watching the transmitter display drop down to zero. There was still that detonation, they know. But Nida is alive. That is all that matters.

Selphie, likewise feeling happy and relieved, understandably feels an urge to run to Zell. But Iris beat her to him. Despite her glee, the Trabian lass silently grieves upon seeing the pigtailed girl smothering her 'other' beloved with a breathstopping lip lock.

"Come on, guys. Let's go home." she urges her comrades, if only to see that unsettling scene come to a halt.

"Uh, Xu and I also came here in our APC." says Iris. "So I hope you don't mind if we kinda switch passengers. Zell and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Selphie's face becomes downcast. Turning her back on the pair, she opts to let Xu make the courtesy agreement.

"Sure, Iris. Come on, Selphie. Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."

Neither Xu nor Iris notice Selphie and Zell looking back at each other as the pairs each proceed on their way to the docked amphibian personnel carriers.

* * *

Forty-eight hours later, a crowd of nine cheerfully gather around their comrades in a hospital recovery room in Esthar. It was a happy sight, with Squall, Rinoa and Irvine sitting up on their beds to show everyone just how ready they are to check out after being treated for second degree radiation poisoning. Despite the laughters and mocked jeers irregularly bellowing out from the group, each one of them is sending the message that they are only too relieved that the trio has speedily recuperated.

"I was like... 'Run? But the bomb is still ticking! Why in the world does Iris want me to run?'" blurts out Nida while playfully balancing himself with his crutches. An impressed Laguna consequently turns his smiling face on the girl with the pigtail.

"That was quite impressive, Iris. What did you tell Nida exactly?"

Iris beams with pride. "Oh, the moment he described the bomb to me, I realized that it was a modified fusion device, obviously modeled after the neutrino fusion bomb. Unfortunately, that configuration has been designed to be fool-proof, there's no way to disarm it once it's activated. So I just got Nida to reverse its polarity to turn it into a fission bomb, which you all probably know, is far less powerful."

"As you can see, Mr. President," Quistis starts. "You made a good decision in sponsoring Balamb Garden's operations. Or else Iris here won't be able to learn all this nifty stuff."

Iris blushes once again, subsequently wrapping her arms affectionately around Zell's waist. He reciprocates by putting his arm over her shoulders, all the while his eyes are training a secret gaze toward Selphie who was seated on Irvine's bed. She just lowered her eyes after meeting his.

"At any rate, I owe you one again, kids." Laguna enthuses. "If not for you -- again, Esthar would have gone the way of the old Centra continent."

"Not necessarily, Mr. President." Quistis interjects. "The only thing you actually stood to lose was Tears Point and the underground hangar."

"How'd you figure, Quisty?" Irvine joins in while putting his arms around Selphie. She then looks at Zell, detecting the martial artist's evident appallment at the sight when he turned his gaze away from them.

"Tactical maneuvers, Irvine." the instructor begins to explain. "If there was enough of the explosives to devastate half of Esthar, Kipman wouldn't have waited for the summit to move to Tears Point for the culmination ceremony. Besides," she pauses, tossing a smirk at Nida. "If there was enough of the Gyro War, Nida wouldn't be standing here with us even though he was successful in reversing the bomb's polarity." A very audible gulp echoes out from his throat.

"In other words, Mr. Kipman was only bluffing to get Zell and me to let him escape." The Trabian girl adds. "Pretty clever."

"Clever?" her lover counters. "Knowing Zell? To hell with the bluff. Right, bud?"

"Uh-huh..." Zell replies. His voice is somewhat drab and obviously lacking its usual ebullience -- a fact that again, didn't escape the notice of the perceptive teacher.

"Anyway, all's well that ends well." Quistis voices out while fastening her whip back to her waist buckle. "Now if you'll excuse us, we still have to make a report to the Headmaster about this. Iris, Xu, Zell, come on." 

The martial artist tosses a suspicious glance at the instructor, as if conveying a silent message that he wants to stay behind. Discerning his subtle intent, Quistis returns his gaze with a smile that conveys a similarly wordless reply that she will not take no for an answer. Reluctantly, the painted SeeD complies and bids farewell to those left behind, all the while avoiding direct eye contact with Selphie and Irvine.

After a few minutes, the four SeeDs are seen approaching their crimson aircraft atop the Airstation's landing deck. Low humming sounds echo from the stairway descending from the Ragnarok's underbelly, with each inch of downward advancement bringing more hesitation to the martial artist. Until ultimately, Zell decides on a course of action, whispering soft words into Iris' ears as Quistis looks on.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Iris. I'll be fine. Go ahead, okay?"

"Alright..." Iris gloomily responds despite her compliance. 

After the pigtailed girl disappeared from his sight, Zell then turns to Quistis with a look that appears to be apologizing for his decision. She looks back at him, not knowing what to think in light of this ominous cognizance stubbornly creeping into her. Quistis had been having this inkling during the last four days, but she chose to ignore them at first after deeming what she thought was a ridiculous mindset. But now, the wise instructor is starting to become possessed with unmitigated anxiety while putting together everything that she has been witnessing during the last couple of days: Zell's unusual silence and Selphie's uncharacteristic lack of ardor when the two are in congregation with other people; the subtle yet meaningful glances made even across distances; the mysterious smiles; the sudden disappearances... she had to be a fool not to realize what's been going on.

Not exactly numb from the obvious, Zell voices out an apprehensive question.

"What's on your mind, Quistis?"

"Uh... nothing." she retorts in opting to let go of the subject. However, the instructor changed her mind, deciding against non-involvement to go after Zell as he starts to make his way back to the city. "Zell, wait!"

"What is it?" he comes back somewhat impatiently.

"Can I... uh... give you a little sisterly advice?" Zell chooses against a reaction and just looks back intently at Quistis.

"... Look before you leap..."

He bows his head, seemingly ashamed at what he discerns as the instructor's unwelcome awareness to the secret he shares with their Trabian colleague. Staring at Zell with half-pitying eyes, Quistis deliberates on whether to lecture her friend of the dangers of this clandestine emotional rendezvous with one who technically belongs to his best friend. Should she go the way of a concerned yet conceivably intrusive friend by telling Zell what can and cannot be done? Or should Quistis simply trust his judgment, with the hope that in the end he will find it in his heart to do the considerate thing?

The teacher chooses the latter, then proceeds to her ascent along the red metal staircase. 

Zell waits until the speeding Ragnarok disappears from his sight before making his way back to the Airstation's front entrance. He was then mildly surprised upon finding Selphie there, waiting.

"Hi." she greets.

"Hi." he retorts. A short stretch of stillness takes place between them prior to Zell picking up on his greeting. "What did you tell him?"

"Oh, I just told Irvine that I'm going shopping." Selphie responds. "Besides, visiting hours is almost over so there's really no point in staying there for long."

"Oh okay." Zell mutters back. He was just about to walk with her back to the streets when Selphie abruptly held his hands.

"Come with me to the landing deck. There's a new trick I need to show you with one of our GFs."

Upon reaching the wide platform, Selphie momentarily closes her eyes in pleasure while basking in the cool breeze blowing gently at her face and body. She then briefly meditates before turning back to Zell.

"When I say jump, jump. Okay?"

"What? Why do we need to...?"

"JUMP!"

Though not knowing why, Zell instantly follows Selphie's vertical leap. All of the sudden, he feels himself snatched away from his upward movement. Immensely startled, the brash SeeD consequently finds himself inside a compact cockpit, with Selphie seated very close beside him. However, her presence wasn't enough to quell his abruptly introduced awe as Zell realizes later on that they're inside the transformed interior of the Guardian Force known as Lockheed.

"Whoa! This is awesome! How'd you learn about this?" he blurts out while watching the horizon sink with their zooming elevation into the peaceful sky.

"I'm not really sure..." Selphie comes back. "It just... dawned on me that Lockheed can also be summoned as a transport GF."

"Cool!" Zell exclaims, his eyes wide with awe as the GF they're riding on continues to speed its way through the blue heavens. What follows next is a long span of speeding stillness for the two enraptured warriors inside the servitor spirit... gawking with immense thrill at the soothing view of the azure nothingness above aptly complemented by the breathtaking beauty of nature's embodiment in the scattered islands that appear like jewels studded along the vast expanse of the resplendent seas below. The soaring sensation never felt this good inside the Ragnarok, they both ponder. The pair was so overcome by the experience of this unnatural freedom that they failed to notice their hands joining together tightly. Their fingers intertwine with each other, together with the resonance of their revelling sighs as Lockheed treats them to an overwhelming incursion through white clouds and flocks migrating seagulls. Their mesmerized minds unwittingly agree on one thing: flying has never felt this heavenly.

Eventually, Zell relinquishes his attention from their hypnotizing journey and moves it to his teammate. He then affectionately pulls her face by her soft chin, and gently guides it towards his. The exhilirating experience consequently becomes dwarfed by the tender merging of their lips.

There is a saying though, that all things -- good or bad -- must come to an end. Zell appears visibly regretful when the GF begins to slowly land on top of a wide plateau. Finally settling on the soft rock, Lockheed promptly disappears, leaving the teo SeeDs at a familiar ledge overlooking the base of Dollet's Communication Tower facility.

"Why here, Sef?" Zell asks the sweetly smiling lass.

"Don't you remember?" Selphie answers. "This is where we first met... I mean, after we got separated in the orphanage."

"Oh yeah..." he quips back, his lips likewise forming a reminiscing smile. "I still remember how you tumbled from over there..." Zell adds with a snickering fit. Selphie juts her tongue out playfully before pulling herself down to sit on the rocks. She then pulls Zell beside her.

"Seems like yerterday, isn't it?" Selphie starts. "I hardly noticed it's already been more than a year since we fought that Elvoret up there."

"Not to mention those two morons." Zell chuckles. "I already forgot their names."

"Biggs and Wedge." she recalls before dismissing the subject. "Anyway, do you still remember how upset you were when we met Irvine? Come to think of it, I'm really quite surprised you two hit it off really well after that initial friction with each other. How'd you do it, anyway?"

"Me and Irvine? Umm... I don't know. I guess it just happened."

"And how about the time when you thought Irvine and I were going to break up. Remember how you ran back and forth trying to explain to me that sports car analogy?"

"Who'd forget that?" Zell snaps back. "That was only two months ago."

Inadvertently, Zell notices a pattern in Selphie's reminiscing. He tries to ignore the cognizance if only to avoid ruining the moment. But the nagging sentiment persists, prompting him to straightway toss a questioning remark to get Selphie to reveal her thoughts.

"You're psyching yourself up, aren't you?"

Selphie abruptly changes mood, momentarily bowing her head before looking back at him.

"I can tell, you know. Among all the things that you can recall, you're bringing back the ones that most project the times when we were only friends. I don't know... but it's like you're trying to remember how it felt like. It's like... you want us to go back to being... just friends."

Totally cornered, the Trabian SeeD couldn't avoid the begging look in her eyes. Zell meets her gaze, not knowing whether to feel bad with the prospect or feel sorry for Selphie's situation. He knows only too well how torn she's feeling at this very moment.

"But don't sweat it, Sef. I... I understand." He struggles to project an aura of sympathy. "I did notice how worried you were when Irvine and the others got trapped in that underground hangar."

"Can you blame me?" Selphie finally voices out. "I did tell you, right? Irvine's still my boyfriend. I'm just having a hard time because..."

"Sef, I understand. You don't have to explain."

"But I wanna explain, dammit!" she suddenly exclaims, startling the martial artist. Zell starts feeling even more dismayed upon noticing the reddening shade in her eyes. It's like anytime now, those resplendent green jewels are going to burst forth with a slew of negative emotions. Opting to stay his compulsion to talk, Zell inches sideways to come even closer to Selphie.

"I don't know what to do anymore! I care about you a lot, Zell. I really, really do... with all my heart. And even though I know it was wrong because I've been cheating on Irvine, I still chose to be with you during the last couple of days. I chose to do that because I want to. I wanna be with you."

Zell feels an abrupt, weakening sensation in his heart while looking on at the despondent Selphie. Much as he tries to steel himself, he knows how much he dreads the direction this conversation is traversing. He feels that however things turn out, he will not be liking them. Training his sight toward the rocky pathway below, the melancholic SeeD sees the petit form of a Trabian candidate in uniform, prodding him to jump down the tall ledge. Zell then turns his attention back to the same girl sitting close beside him.

"I'm kinda thinking... how did this all start? Have we always felt this way before and we're just not aware of it?" Selphie runs a finger across the corner of her left eye. "Or are we just mistaking this for something deeper only because we're so excited with the setup."

"Excited? Setup?" he quizzically snaps back.

"I remember what Mr. Kipman told us... why people do things even though they know it might hurt others. He said its because we can. Zell... are we doing this only because we know we can? Is it because we just found out that we're capable of doing this behind everyone's back?"

"Maybe..." he mutters in response. "Maybe... I don't know. But if it's true, that'll somehow make our lives easier, right? We did this because we can do it. And now, we're done doing it, many times over. Experiment successful, shall we now draw up a conclusion?"

Selphie doesn't answer.

"We therefore conclude that it was fun doing it. And that's it. We can now go back to our regular lives and just forget that any of these happened. Sounds easy, doesn't it?"

"Y... Yeah... it does." Selphie mumbles.

"Okay..." he sighs. "Maybe you are right. If this is the case, I suppose the only thing left for us to do is to stop this thing and pick up where we left off." 

Selphie nods her head faintly. And as if expecting that reaction, Zell leads her to face him directly then stares straight into her eyes.

"Is that... what you really want to do?"

"... ... No..."

Gripped with heart-rending passion, Zell and Selphie draw together in a tight embrace, pouring out the tormented wails in their hearts that yearn so much to be one with the other. Savoring the sad, albeit blissful moment, they subsequently choose to let time stand still... knowing full well that when it starts to move again, it will do so with the unyielding demand for separate lives.

"But that's what we'll end up doing, Zell."

He holds her even closer, tighter. A screaming reflection of the fear of inevitably letting each other go because of their glaring unwillingness to give up what they have. It breaks their hearts, tears them asunder. But the two anguished souls are only too aware that they cannot serve two masters at the same time.

"I'm sorry..." Selphie starts to sob. "I'm so sorry for letting this happen, Zell. I shouldn't have done it without being sure about Irvine. But..."

Selphie hesitates, wary of causing torment in Zell's heart with the truth that no matter how deeply she feels, she is still too scared to abandon the foundation laid down by her long-running relationship with the gunslinger. Besides, she knows that that's not the only reason. She knows that despite being awash by her passion for Zell, Selphie still harbors a lingering regard for Irvine. Given this... she accepts the truth that she is just not ready to venture forth to the final goal.

Selphie hates herself for admitting the truth that she's just playing safe.

A truth that is shared by Zell. He is likewise tortured by the fact that he doesn't have the whole of her... that he has to share her with his best friend. If he really wants to, he can momentarily disregard friendship to give in to his heart's desire of completely bestowing himself upon her. But he can't give out what he doesn't fully own. No matter how ferocious his longing for Selphie is, Zell knows that a certain territory in his heart is still held by the pigtailed girl. And he's not certain if he's ready to squirm free of a secure state in favor of an uncertain start.

They're bringing this unto themselves. They may have already proceeded to the next level, yet they discover that the pinnacle entails permanent sacrifices. Sacrifices they're not willing to make.

"Sef... I'm sorry too..."

Faint sobs begin to emanate from Selphie.

"What do we do now?"

"W-We did this to ourselves, Sefie." Zell stutters. "Now... there's nothing we can do but to choke this down and... hope that we survive this..."

"I... don't know if I can..."

"... Me too..."

It was the most incredibly difficult thing he tried to do in his life. But finally, Zell was able to let go of the woman he has grown to care for with the deepest regard he's ever felt. His heavy heart mercilessly weighing him down, the martial artist had to call forth inhuman strangths just to lift himself up from the spot beside her. Zell was able to make a few steps away before the ruthless force manages to turn him back. For one horrific moment, he again fails to deny his yearning.

"Selphie... I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you."

She looks up with drenched eyes.

"Don't say that. You'll never know when I might ask for too much from you..."

What follows next is a series of footsteps that slowly faded from her exhausted ears. Selphie looks behind to see that she's now alone... alone and heartbroken. The effort was futile, yet she persists in roaming her eyes around to find at least one thing to give her weary heart a semblance of comfort.

There's a tall pile of rocks a short distance from where she sits. Her lips then form a sullen smile. A long time ago, she was ordered by her Squad A leader to send an urgent withdraw message to all the other candidate squads participating in that SeeD field exam. It took her forever to locate the problematic Squad B led by their equally problematic squad leader. And yet she was still able to accomplish the mission which was highlighted by a careless footing and an embarrassing tumble down that same pile of rocks. She looks up, sees him, and sticks her tongue out.

That was the beginning.

__

- The End -


End file.
